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

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. rest — what's left
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. rest — a break
  7. current — of water
  8. chair — a leader
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. game — a match
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. rest — what's left
  14. roll — a cake
  15. roll — a list
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. game — wild animals
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. current — electric
  22. current — happening now
  23. toast — bread
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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