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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 120 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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. scale — size or range
  5. kid — child
  6. bark — to shout
  7. kid — to tease
  8. craft — a skill
  9. craft — boats
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. charge — electricity
  12. scale — in music
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. pass — a permit
  15. court — for sport
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. chair — a leader
  20. charge — a price
  21. court — of a king
  22. charge — in control
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. court — of law

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