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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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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. chip — for betting
  3. land — ground
  4. land — to come down
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. track — a song
  7. land — a country
  8. chair — a leader
  9. track — a path
  10. rock — music
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. bark — to shout
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. chip — to eat
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. rock — a stone
  18. track — to keep track

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