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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 120 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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. ground — crushed
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. dip — to sink
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. foot — a measure
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. chair — a leader
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. key — the most important part
  12. ground — a position
  13. key — in music
  14. chip — for betting
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. chip — to eat
  17. bark — to shout
  18. ground — the earth
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. key — for a lock

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