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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 fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. bass — the fish
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. bass — low music
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. plane — a tool
  7. chip — to eat
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. deal — to handle
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. bark — to shout
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. current — happening now
  14. chip — for betting
  15. mine — for digging
  16. current — electric
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. current — of water
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. chair — a leader

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