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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. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. chair — a leader
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. swing — to play on
  5. season — in sport
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. season — of the year
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. swing — in golf
  10. wind — moving air
  11. game — wild animals
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. game — a match
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. wind — moving air
  16. prune — to trim
  17. bark — to shout
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. swing — music
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. prune — to trim

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