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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 116 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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. net — in sport
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. degree — an amount
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. net — for catching
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. chair — a leader
  9. charge — a price
  10. club — for dancing
  11. charge — in control
  12. bark — to shout
  13. charge — electricity
  14. bass — low music
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. degree — temperature
  17. club — for golf
  18. scale — size or range
  19. degree — from a university
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. bass — the fish
  22. net — after costs
  23. club — a group
  24. scale — in music

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