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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.

Make a worksheet

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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  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. mine — belonging to me
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. rest — what's left
  4. chair — a leader
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. mine — for digging
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. cap — a hat
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. rest — what's left
  13. deal — to handle
  14. cap — of ice
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. bark — to shout
  18. rest — a break
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. perch — the fish
  21. cap — a lid
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. chair — to sit on
  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