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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: pitch · chest · bay · tear · rule · board · chair · bark

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. chest — of your body
  4. board — to get on
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. tear — from crying
  7. chair — a leader
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. tear — from crying
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. rule — a law
  16. board — a committee
  17. tear — to rip
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. pitch — completely
  21. chest — a box
  22. bark — to shout
  23. chest — of your body
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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