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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. rock — a stone
  4. bark — to shout
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. rock — music
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. wind — moving air
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. wind — moving air
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. chair — a leader
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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