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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. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. deal — to handle
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. bark — to shout
  5. tube — a container
  6. hand — help
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. chip — for betting
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. tube — the underground
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. wake — a trail
  15. season — in sport
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. hand — in cards
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. pound — a weight
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. season — of the year

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