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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. mate — a partner
  4. object — an aim
  5. chair — a leader
  6. bass — the fish
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. last — to go on
  9. bass — low music
  10. bore — to drill
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. object — to protest
  13. bark — to shout
  14. mate — a friend
  15. object — a thing
  16. bore — to tire
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. firm — steady
  19. last — finally
  20. mate — to breed
  21. firm — a company
  22. last — final
  23. firm — decided
  24. chair — a professorship

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