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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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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: bark · roll · chair · kid · mouse · dip · court · pass

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. pass — a permit
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. kid — child
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. bark — to shout
  9. court — of a king
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. chair — a leader
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. court — for sport
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. court — of law
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. kid — to tease
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. roll — a cake
  20. roll — a list
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. dip — to sink

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