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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. bark — to shout
  3. chip — to eat
  4. mate — a friend
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. clip — a video
  7. chip — for betting
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. mate — to breed
  11. ball — a great time
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. clip — to cut
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. clip — for paper
  18. ball — a dance
  19. mate — a partner
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. date — the fruit
  23. pound — a weight
  24. pound — for dogs

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