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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: wind · chair · pop · mate · bark · pitch · safe · bowl

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. bark — to shout
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. wind — moving air
  8. wind — moving air
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. chair — a leader
  11. pop — soda
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. mate — to breed
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. mate — a partner
  18. pitch — completely
  19. mate — a friend
  20. pop — to visit
  21. pop — music
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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