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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 sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. bark — to shout
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. file — a tool
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. file — a line of people
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. file — a document
  14. court — for sport
  15. court — of law
  16. bear — the animal
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. chip — to eat
  19. bear — the animal
  20. foot — a measure
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. court — of a king

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