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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. bound — tied together
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. bound — certain
  5. bark — to shout
  6. bound — obliged
  7. game — wild animals
  8. land — to come down
  9. land — ground
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. game — a match
  13. chair — a leader
  14. land — a country
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. current — happening now
  20. current — electric
  21. current — of water
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. row — to paddle
  24. row — a line

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