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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.

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: chip · last · bore · chair · lean · pitch · bark · mug

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. last — finally
  3. chip — to eat
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. bore — to drill
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. chip — for betting
  10. lean — thin
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. mug — a face
  13. mug — a cup
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. lean — to bend
  17. bark — to shout
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. last — to go on
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. pitch — completely
  22. bore — to tire
  23. last — final
  24. mug — to rob

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