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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. kid — child
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. bass — low music
  5. cap — a hat
  6. bark — to shout
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. charge — a price
  10. charge — electricity
  11. charge — in control
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. bass — the fish
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. bound — tied together
  16. bound — certain
  17. chair — a leader
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. pass — a permit
  20. cap — a lid
  21. bound — obliged
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. cap — of ice
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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