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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. chair — a leader
  3. club — for golf
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. board — to get on
  9. mate — a partner
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. lie — to recline
  12. mate — a friend
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. board — a committee
  18. mate — to breed
  19. club — for dancing
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. club — a group
  24. bark — to shout

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