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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 116 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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. game — wild animals
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. bulb — for light
  6. chip — to eat
  7. chip — for betting
  8. bark — to shout
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. game — a match
  12. firm — steady
  13. field — a subject
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. firm — decided
  16. field — for sport
  17. bulb — for light
  18. firm — a company
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. row — a line
  21. sharp — clever
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. field — farmland
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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