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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. bass — the fish
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. chip — to eat
  5. chair — a leader
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. hand — help
  8. chip — for betting
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. hand — in cards
  11. fork — in a road
  12. key — the most important part
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. wound — an injury
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. key — in music
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. bass — low music
  23. bark — to shout
  24. wound — an injury

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