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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. chip — to eat
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. plane — a tool
  5. bound — tied together
  6. chip — for betting
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. content — happy
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. bound — certain
  12. bark — to shout
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. bound — obliged
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. content — the amount

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