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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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Word bank
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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: sharp · chair · pass · file · season · fan · bark · land

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. sharp — clever
  4. file — a line of people
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. season — in sport
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. land — ground
  13. bark — to shout
  14. file — a tool
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. land — to come down
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. chair — a leader
  20. season — of the year
  21. pass — a permit
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. file — a document
  24. land — a country

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