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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

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

Word bank: bark · squash · current · game · pitcher · race · board · fan

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. current — electric
  3. squash — the sport
  4. current — of water
  5. squash — to crush
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. game — wild animals
  9. board — a committee
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. race — the arms race
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. current — happening now
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. game — a match
  20. race — humankind
  21. board — to get on
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. race — a contest

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