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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: board · hide · row · cabinet · bat · last · bark · straw

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. bark — to shout
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. board — a committee
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. row — to paddle
  13. last — final
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. row — a line
  17. board — to get on
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. bat — the animal
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. last — to go on

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