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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. spell — a short time
  4. firm — decided
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. firm — a company
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. spell — letters
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. board — a committee
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. craft — a skill
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. craft — boats
  16. bark — to shout
  17. row — a line
  18. firm — steady
  19. board — to get on
  20. chair — a leader
  21. spell — magic
  22. row — to paddle
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. row — a quarrel

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