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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: chair · calf · ball · mark · sharp · pass · bark · row

  1. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. ball — a dance
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. row — to paddle
  6. pass — a permit
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. mark — a trace
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. chair — a leader
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. sharp — clever
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. ball — a great time
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. mark — a grade
  21. row — a line
  22. bark — to shout
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. sharp — with an edge

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