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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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. chip — to eat
  3. degree — an amount
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. file — a document
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. chip — for betting
  8. bear — the animal
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. object — to protest
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. mate — a friend
  14. file — a tool
  15. mate — to breed
  16. degree — temperature
  17. mate — a partner
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. bark — to shout
  20. degree — from a university
  21. file — a line of people
  22. object — a thing
  23. object — an aim
  24. arm — a part of something

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