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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 116 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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. chair — a leader
  9. lie — to recline
  10. craft — a skill
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. craft — boats
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. bark — to shout

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