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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 120 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. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  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. rash — a series
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. chair — a leader
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. net — in sport
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. net — after costs
  12. press — newspapers
  13. press — to push
  14. rash — hasty
  15. track — a path
  16. net — for catching
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. track — to keep track
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. track — a song
  22. press — a publisher
  23. chair — a professorship
  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