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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 put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. hand — help
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. craft — boats
  6. kick — in football
  7. hand — in cards
  8. chair — a leader
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. craft — a skill
  13. plane — a tool
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. cap — of ice
  20. cap — a lid
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. cap — a hat
  24. bark — to shout

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