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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. cap — a lid
  4. current — happening now
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. cap — a hat
  7. face — part of the head
  8. cap — of ice
  9. bound — certain
  10. race — a contest
  11. face — to confront
  12. chair — a leader
  13. bark — to shout
  14. face — to point toward
  15. race — humankind
  16. bound — tied together
  17. current — of water
  18. can — a tin
  19. can — to be able to
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. current — electric
  22. can — a tin
  23. bound — obliged
  24. race — the arms race

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