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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. board — to get on
  7. hand — help
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. sharp — clever
  11. hand — in cards
  12. rock — a stone
  13. chair — a leader
  14. land — ground
  15. lie — to recline
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. bark — to shout
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. land — to come down
  21. board — a committee
  22. rock — music
  23. land — a country
  24. bark — of a tree

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