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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 reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. cap — a lid
  4. plane — a tool
  5. mug — to rob
  6. rush — hurry
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. cap — of ice
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. mug — a cup
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. bound — certain
  18. bound — obliged
  19. chair — a leader
  20. mug — a face
  21. cap — a hat
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. bark — to shout

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