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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.

Make a worksheet

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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. key — in music
  6. key — for a lock
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. bark — to shout
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. bass — low music
  13. hand — help
  14. key — the most important part
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. bass — the fish
  17. file — a line of people
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. hand — in cards
  20. file — a document
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. chair — a leader
  23. file — a tool
  24. bark — of a tree

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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