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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. spell — magic
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. drill — a practice
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. club — for golf
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. drill — army training
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. club — a group
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. spell — letters
  16. bark — to shout
  17. club — for dancing
  18. stock — goods
  19. board — a committee
  20. drill — the tool
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. spell — a short time
  23. stock — shares
  24. board — to get on

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