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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. row — a line
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. swing — music
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. rash — hasty
  10. row — to paddle
  11. bark — to shout
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. saw — the tool
  15. swing — in golf
  16. rash — a series
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. deal — to handle
  19. chair — a leader
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. swing — to play on
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. row — a quarrel

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