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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. mark — a trace
  5. bark — to shout
  6. bulb — for light
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. chip — to eat
  10. row — to paddle
  11. charge — electricity
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. row — a line
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. charge — in control
  16. charge — a price
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. mark — a grade
  20. bulb — for light
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. chip — for betting
  24. dip — to sink

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