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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 put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. pit — a hole
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. rest — what's left
  6. mine — for digging
  7. chair — a leader
  8. bound — certain
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. pit — in a race
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. bound — obliged
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. bark — to shout
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. branch — a division
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. bound — tied together
  23. rest — a break
  24. rest — what's left

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