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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bark · chair · swing · shower · pit · firm

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. chair — a leader
  3. bark — to shout
  4. shower — rain
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. pit — in a race
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. firm — steady
  11. swing — to play on
  12. firm — decided
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. shower — to wash
  15. pit — a hole
  16. swing — in golf
  17. swing — music
  18. firm — a company

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