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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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. branch — a division
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. chip — to eat
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. bound — obliged
  13. court — of law
  14. chair — a leader
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. bark — to shout
  17. bound — tied together
  18. plane — a tool
  19. court — of a king
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. court — for sport
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. bound — certain
  24. fan — to cool the air

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