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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. bark — to shout
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. fine — all right
  6. mine — for digging
  7. chair — a leader
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. club — for dancing
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. staff — employees
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. staff — employees
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. club — for golf
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. fine — high quality
  19. staff — a stick
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. club — a group
  24. dip — to sink

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