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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. bark — to shout
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. cue — a signal
  8. ground — crushed
  9. stock — goods
  10. cue — for pool
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. land — ground
  13. ground — the earth
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. perch — the fish
  17. chair — a leader
  18. cue — a hint
  19. land — a country
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. ground — a position
  22. land — to come down
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. stock — shares

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