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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. bark — to shout
  3. stand — to bear
  4. chair — a leader
  5. staff — employees
  6. net — for catching
  7. staff — employees
  8. cue — a hint
  9. staff — a stick
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. net — after costs
  12. face — to confront
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. face — part of the head
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. net — in sport
  19. cue — for pool
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. cue — a signal
  23. face — to point toward
  24. mouse — the animal

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