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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. present — there
  3. tear — to rip
  4. wind — moving air
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. wind — moving air
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. present — a gift
  11. tear — from crying
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. mark — a grade
  14. bore — to tire
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. tear — from crying
  17. bore — to drill
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. bark — to shout
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. mark — a trace
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. present — the time now

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