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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 potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. chip — to eat
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. rash — hasty
  8. degree — temperature
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. staff — a stick
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. chip — for betting
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. rash — a series
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. degree — from a university
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. bark — to shout
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. degree — an amount
  22. staff — employees
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. staff — employees

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