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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 116 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 · chair · ball · bay · leaves · racket · bark · kid

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. pit — a hole
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. ball — a dance
  14. chair — a leader
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. pit — in a race
  19. ball — a great time
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. kid — to tease
  22. bark — to shout
  23. kid — child
  24. ball — a round shape

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