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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. club — for dancing
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. vault — a safe
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. swing — to play on
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. can — to be able to
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. club — for golf
  13. swing — music
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. can — a tin
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. club — a group
  18. swing — in golf
  19. file — a line of people
  20. file — a tool
  21. file — a document
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. bark — to shout
  24. can — a tin

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