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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: ground · bowl · staff · pitcher · bark · board · club · rock

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. club — a group
  4. rock — music
  5. ground — the earth
  6. bark — to shout
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. board — a committee
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. club — for dancing
  11. board — to get on
  12. club — for golf
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. ground — crushed
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. ground — a position
  20. staff — employees
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. rock — a stone
  23. staff — a stick
  24. staff — employees

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