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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 120 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: bark · bat · straw · chair · deal · bound · staff · pitch

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. staff — employees
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. pitch — completely
  12. bound — tied together
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. deal — to handle
  15. bound — certain
  16. staff — a stick
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. bound — obliged
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. chair — a leader
  21. bat — the animal
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. bark — to shout
  24. chair — to sit on

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