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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. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. club — for golf
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. chip — to eat
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. pound — a weight
  11. spring — the season
  12. club — for dancing
  13. land — a country
  14. ball — a great time
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. chip — for betting
  17. club — a group
  18. land — to come down
  19. spring — of water
  20. ball — a dance
  21. dip — to sink
  22. land — ground
  23. spring — a coil
  24. ball — a round shape

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