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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. date — the fruit
  3. file — a line of people
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. board — to get on
  6. perch — the fish
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. file — a tool
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. foot — a measure
  13. ball — a dance
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. scale — size or range
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. bark — to shout
  18. ball — a great time
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. scale — in music
  24. file — a document

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com