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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. field — for sport
  5. club — for golf
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. deal — to handle
  8. club — for dancing
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. bark — to shout
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. scale — size or range
  13. bulb — for light
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. field — farmland
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. field — a subject
  20. scale — in music
  21. club — a group
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. bulb — for light
  24. scale — for weighing

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