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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: kick · cap · bark · chair · scale · rock · jam · pit

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. chair — a leader
  4. cap — of ice
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. scale — size or range
  8. kick — in football
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. pit — a hole
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. cap — a lid
  14. rock — a stone
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. scale — in music
  18. cap — a hat
  19. pit — in a race
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. bark — to shout

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