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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  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. chair — a leader
  2. squash — the sport
  3. bat — the animal
  4. spell — a short time
  5. suit — in cards
  6. spell — letters
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. spell — magic
  10. vault — a safe
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. suit — to fit
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. squash — to crush
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. suit — clothes
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. bat — for baseball
  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