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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. bark — to shout
  3. land — a country
  4. chair — a leader
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. land — ground
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. lean — thin
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. kick — in football
  14. bear — the animal
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. pitch — completely
  20. bear — the animal
  21. land — to come down
  22. lean — to bend
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. bark — of a tree

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