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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
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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 · bass · shower · deal · board · cue · chair · mine

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. mine — for digging
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. bass — low music
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. bass — the fish
  11. board — to get on
  12. cue — a signal
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. shower — to wash
  15. cue — a hint
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. bark — to shout
  18. chair — a leader
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. board — a committee
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. cue — for pool
  24. deal — to handle

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