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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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. dip — to sink
  3. track — a path
  4. chip — for betting
  5. track — to keep track
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. net — for catching
  8. hand — help
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. track — a song
  11. net — after costs
  12. chip — to eat
  13. ground — the earth
  14. net — in sport
  15. foot — a measure
  16. ground — crushed
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. bark — to shout
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. hand — in cards
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. ground — a position

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