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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. bark — to shout
  3. chip — to eat
  4. spell — a short time
  5. spell — magic
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. object — an aim
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. chip — for betting
  16. pitch — completely
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. spell — letters
  19. rash — a series
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. object — to protest
  22. object — a thing
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. chip — in a computer

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