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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. chip — to eat
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. scale — in music
  7. chair — a leader
  8. scale — size or range
  9. foot — a measure
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. hand — in cards
  12. lean — to bend
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. hand — help
  15. lean — thin
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. bark — to shout
  19. fork — in a road
  20. chip — for betting
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. fork — a garden tool

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