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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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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: key · staff · bark · sharp · chair · kid · pound · racket

  1. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. key — in music
  4. kid — child
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. kid — to tease
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. key — for a lock
  14. bark — to shout
  15. sharp — clever
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. staff — employees
  19. key — the most important part
  20. staff — employees
  21. chair — a leader
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. staff — a stick
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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