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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. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. bark — to shout
  3. chip — to eat
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. fall — to drop
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. chip — for betting
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. fall — the season
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. dip — to sink
  18. pound — a weight
  19. last — to go on
  20. fall — to drop
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. last — finally
  23. sharp — clever
  24. last — final

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