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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. bark — to shout
  3. chair — a leader
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. rush — hurry
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. mark — a grade
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. mark — a trace
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. mug — to rob
  16. mug — a cup
  17. game — a match
  18. bulb — for light
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. bulb — for light
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. game — wild animals
  24. chair — to sit on

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