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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 116 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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. chair — a leader
  3. fine — all right
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. cue — a hint
  6. rash — hasty
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. charge — in control
  9. club — for dancing
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. fine — high quality
  12. snap — to click
  13. bark — to shout
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. charge — a price
  16. club — a group
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. club — for golf
  20. rash — a series
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. cue — for pool
  23. cue — a signal
  24. charge — electricity

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