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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 train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. staff — a stick
  3. chip — for betting
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. chair — a leader
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. chip — to eat
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. staff — employees
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. staff — employees
  20. bark — to shout
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. chair — a professorship

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