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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. saw — the tool
  3. tear — from crying
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. row — a line
  7. can — a tin
  8. can — to be able to
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. pass — a permit
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. swing — music
  13. tear — to rip
  14. swing — in golf
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. swing — to play on
  17. tear — from crying
  18. row — to paddle
  19. bark — to shout
  20. can — a tin
  21. saw — the tool
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. chair — a leader
  24. pass — to spend time

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