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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: object · chair · mug · straw · bay · staff · race · bark

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. mug — to rob
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. race — the arms race
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. bark — to shout
  7. staff — employees
  8. object — to protest
  9. race — humankind
  10. object — an aim
  11. mug — a face
  12. object — a thing
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. mug — a cup
  19. race — a contest
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. staff — a stick
  22. chair — a leader
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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