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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. bat — the animal
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. roll — a cake
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. season — in sport
  10. bark — to shout
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. spell — a short time
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. spell — magic
  15. season — of the year
  16. chip — to eat
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. spell — letters
  22. chip — for betting
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. roll — a list

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