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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. rash — hasty
  3. scale — in music
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. mate — to breed
  6. mate — a partner
  7. object — a thing
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. clip — a video
  10. clip — to cut
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. rash — a series
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. scale — size or range
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. clip — for paper
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. mate — a friend
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. bark — to shout
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. object — to protest
  24. chair — a leader

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