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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. march — the month
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. bound — tied together
  5. game — wild animals
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. march — the month
  9. game — a match
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. pit — a hole
  12. pit — in a race
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. bound — obliged
  16. bound — certain
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. bark — to shout
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. march — music

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