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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. chair — a leader
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. bark — to shout
  6. charge — a price
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. current — happening now
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. charge — in control
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. current — electric
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. cue — a signal
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. dip — to sink
  20. current — of water
  21. charge — electricity
  22. cue — for pool
  23. content — happy
  24. content — the amount

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