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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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  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. bat — for baseball
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. kid — child
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. chair — a leader
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. rock — music
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. rock — a stone
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. bat — the animal
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. current — happening now
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. current — of water
  21. kid — to tease
  22. pitch — completely
  23. current — electric
  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