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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. bore — to tire
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. firm — steady
  5. bass — low music
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. chair — a leader
  9. date — the fruit
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. bore — to drill
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. firm — a company
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. bark — to shout
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. bass — the fish
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. firm — decided
  24. fan — a supporter

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