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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. mate — a partner
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. bark — to shout
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. mate — a friend
  7. scale — in music
  8. saw — the tool
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. scale — size or range
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. chip — for betting
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. cell — a phone
  18. chip — to eat
  19. mate — to breed
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. saw — the tool
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. cell — in biology

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