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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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. ball — a great time
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. suit — in cards
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. cold — an illness
  9. cold — not warm
  10. bark — to shout
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. suit — to fit
  13. pound — a weight
  14. toast — bread
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. suit — clothes
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. chair — a leader
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. ball — a dance
  23. roll — a list
  24. chair — to sit on

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