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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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. plane — a tool
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. can — a tin
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. chip — to eat
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. ground — the earth
  10. can — to be able to
  11. can — a tin
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. ground — crushed
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. bark — to shout
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. ground — a position
  20. game — a match
  21. game — wild animals
  22. prune — to trim
  23. prune — to trim
  24. bowl — to roll

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