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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. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. drill — the tool
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. dip — to sink
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. stock — shares
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. capital — money
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. drill — army training
  13. capital — a city
  14. drill — a practice
  15. bark — to shout
  16. stock — goods
  17. chip — for betting
  18. dip — to dunk

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