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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. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. chair — a leader
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. tear — from crying
  15. stock — goods
  16. bark — to shout
  17. tear — from crying
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. stock — shares
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. tear — to rip
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. chip — for betting
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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