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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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. game — a match
  5. shower — to wash
  6. mine — for digging
  7. bark — to shout
  8. chip — to eat
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. firm — decided
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. shower — rain
  17. game — wild animals
  18. lie — to recline
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. firm — steady
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. firm — a company

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