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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. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. charge — a price
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. kid — child
  5. charge — electricity
  6. chip — to eat
  7. bear — the animal
  8. bass — low music
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. chip — for betting
  12. hand — help
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. kid — to tease
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. scale — size or range
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. scale — in music
  19. bass — the fish
  20. hand — in cards
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. charge — in control
  23. bear — the animal
  24. bark — of a tree

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