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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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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: present · clip · bark · court · board · chair · drill · pass

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. clip — for paper
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. pass — a permit
  5. present — the time now
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. clip — to cut
  8. present — a gift
  9. court — of law
  10. clip — a video
  11. court — for sport
  12. chair — a leader
  13. drill — army training
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. present — there
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. drill — a practice
  18. bark — to shout
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. board — to get on
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. drill — the tool
  23. board — a committee
  24. court — of a king

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