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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: fine · bark · bore · pass · chair · season · dip · can

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. fine — high quality
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. can — a tin
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. can — a tin
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. season — of the year
  14. bore — to drill
  15. dip — to sink
  16. pass — a permit
  17. bark — to shout
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. season — in sport
  20. can — to be able to
  21. chair — a leader
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. bore — to tire
  24. pass — to spend time

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