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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.

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: season · safe · pitcher · chair · bark · ground · deal · rule

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. deal — to handle
  4. ground — crushed
  5. season — of the year
  6. bark — to shout
  7. ground — a position
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. rule — government
  10. chair — a leader
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. rule — a law
  15. ground — the earth
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. season — in sport
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. pitcher — a jug

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