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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. saw — the tool
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. drill — the tool
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. pass — a permit
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. bark — to shout
  15. bass — the fish
  16. chair — a leader
  17. bass — low music
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. drill — a practice
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. scale — size or range
  22. saw — the tool
  23. drill — army training
  24. scale — in music

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