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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 met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. chip — for betting
  4. hand — in cards
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. date — the fruit
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. drill — a practice
  13. hand — help
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. bark — to shout
  16. foot — a measure
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. drill — the tool
  20. chip — to eat
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. drill — army training
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. mine — for digging

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