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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. chair — a leader
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. drill — a practice
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. drill — the tool
  9. bark — to shout
  10. game — a match
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. pass — a permit
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. rash — hasty
  19. game — wild animals
  20. drill — army training
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. wave — of the sea

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