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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 120 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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. craft — boats
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. charge — electricity
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. rash — a series
  8. season — of the year
  9. kid — to tease
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. charge — in control
  12. foot — a measure
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. charge — a price
  15. craft — a skill
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. chair — a leader
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. rash — hasty
  20. season — in sport
  21. bark — to shout
  22. kid — child
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. season — to add flavour

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