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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 116 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 thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  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. mouse — the animal
  2. chair — a leader
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. field — farmland
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. field — for sport
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. capital — money
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. field — a subject
  21. capital — a city
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  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