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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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. suit — to fit
  4. craft — a skill
  5. bark — to shout
  6. suit — clothes
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. chair — a leader
  9. plane — a tool
  10. foot — a measure
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. suit — in cards
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. craft — boats
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. kid — to tease
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. kid — child
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. bat — in an idiom

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