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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: game · chair · land · bark · rush · scale · mug · tube

  1. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. chair — a leader
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. tube — the underground
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. rush — hurry
  9. land — to come down
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. mug — to rob
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. scale — in music
  14. game — wild animals
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. bark — to shout
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. game — a match
  20. land — a country
  21. scale — size or range
  22. land — ground
  23. mug — a face
  24. tube — a container

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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