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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. bark — to shout
  4. saw — the tool
  5. land — ground
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. bound — tied together
  8. firm — a company
  9. mug — to rob
  10. firm — steady
  11. rush — hurry
  12. mug — a face
  13. firm — decided
  14. saw — the tool
  15. bound — obliged
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. chair — a leader
  18. mug — a cup
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. bound — certain
  22. land — a country
  23. land — to come down
  24. chair — to sit on

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