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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: court · bat · game · charge · bark · chair · board · lash

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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 — in an idiom
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. court — of a king
  7. charge — a price
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. chair — a leader
  10. game — wild animals
  11. charge — electricity
  12. bark — to shout
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. bat — the animal
  15. board — to get on
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. court — of law
  18. charge — in control
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. game — a match
  21. board — a committee
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. court — for sport

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