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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 120 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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. bound — tied together
  3. chip — to eat
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. band — a music group
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. bark — to shout
  8. spell — letters
  9. squash — the sport
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. bound — certain
  13. cue — a hint
  14. chip — for betting
  15. spell — magic
  16. squash — to crush
  17. chest — of your body
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. chest — of your body
  20. cue — a signal
  21. chest — a box
  22. bound — obliged
  23. cue — for pool
  24. band — a ring

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