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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.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. chip — for betting
  3. file — a line of people
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. mate — a friend
  6. object — to protest
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. bark — to shout
  10. cell — in biology
  11. file — a document
  12. mate — a partner
  13. file — a tool
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. cell — a phone
  16. object — an aim
  17. mate — to breed
  18. chip — to eat

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