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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.

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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: rock · cap · bark · game · bound · file · chair · key

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. game — wild animals
  3. bark — to shout
  4. key — for a lock
  5. cap — a hat
  6. file — a line of people
  7. cap — a lid
  8. chair — a leader
  9. bound — certain
  10. bound — obliged
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. cap — of ice
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. file — a tool
  15. key — the most important part
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. rock — a stone
  18. rock — music
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. file — a document
  21. bound — tied together
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. game — a match
  24. key — in music

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