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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. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  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 — to sit on
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. chair — a leader
  4. season — of the year
  5. mark — a grade
  6. rash — a series
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. season — in sport
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. rash — hasty
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. ball — a great time
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. ball — a dance
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. mark — a trace
  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