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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. chip — for betting
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. bark — to shout
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. stand — to bear
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. chip — to eat
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. bat — the animal
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. ball — a great time
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. deal — to handle
  21. tube — the underground
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. tube — a container
  24. ball — a dance

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