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

Word bank: snap · nail · stand · bat · cell · kid · board · bark

  1. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. kid — child
  4. board — to get on
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. kid — to tease
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. cell — in biology
  12. stand — to bear
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. board — a committee
  16. bark — to shout
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. cell — a phone
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. snap — to click
  24. bat — the animal

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