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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: pit · straw · lash · bowl · chair · bark · rule · track

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. rule — a law
  3. chair — a leader
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. track — a song
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. track — to keep track
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. rule — government
  19. pit — in a race
  20. pit — a hole
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. bark — to shout
  24. track — a path

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