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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. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. bark — to shout
  5. chip — for betting
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. shower — rain
  10. fine — high quality
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. pound — a weight
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. shower — to wash
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. fine — all right
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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