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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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. chair — a leader
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. spell — letters
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. content — the amount
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. vault — a safe
  17. content — happy
  18. bark — to shout
  19. spell — a short time
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. spell — magic
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. lie — to recline
  24. mouse — the animal

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