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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: bark · chair · pit · firm · track · coach · shower · net

  1. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. track — a song
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. shower — rain
  6. pit — a hole
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. shower — to wash
  10. firm — steady
  11. bark — to shout
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. track — a path
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. net — after costs
  18. pit — in a race
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. net — for catching
  21. net — in sport
  22. track — to keep track
  23. chair — a leader
  24. firm — decided

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