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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 · charge · chair · rash · pit · tear · board · row

  1. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. rash — a series
  5. chair — a leader
  6. tear — from crying
  7. charge — in control
  8. pit — in a race
  9. tear — from crying
  10. board — a committee
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. row — a line
  13. charge — electricity
  14. board — to get on
  15. row — to paddle
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. charge — a price
  18. tear — to rip
  19. rash — hasty
  20. bark — to shout
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. chair — a professorship

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