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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 124 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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. present — a gift
  4. wound — an injury
  5. present — there
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. net — after costs
  8. chest — of your body
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. chest — of your body
  14. chair — a leader
  15. rock — music
  16. bark — to shout
  17. wound — an injury
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. present — the time now
  20. net — in sport
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. rock — a stone
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. chest — a box

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