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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. object — to protest
  5. spell — magic
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. spell — a short time
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. bark — to shout
  10. wake — a trail
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. chair — a leader
  14. object — an aim
  15. rock — music
  16. rock — a stone
  17. object — a thing
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. scale — size or range
  20. scale — in music
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. hand — help
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. hand — in cards

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