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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 120 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: mark · safe · chair · kid · bark · prune · key · bat

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. bark — to shout
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. bat — the animal
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. key — in music
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. prune — to trim
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. mark — a trace
  14. prune — to trim
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. kid — to tease
  17. key — for a lock
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. key — the most important part
  20. mark — a grade
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. chair — a leader
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. kid — child

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