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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 president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. squash — the sport
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. bear — the animal
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. chip — for betting
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. bear — the animal
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. bark — to shout
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. row — a line
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. chip — to eat
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. row — to paddle
  23. foot — a measure
  24. fan — to cool the air

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