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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. pop — soda
  4. drill — the tool
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. chair — a leader
  7. rash — hasty
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. drill — a practice
  10. bark — to shout
  11. rash — a series
  12. ground — a position
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. pop — music
  16. spell — a short time
  17. pop — to visit
  18. spell — letters
  19. drill — army training
  20. spell — magic
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. ground — the earth
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. ground — crushed

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