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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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. last — final
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. spell — magic
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. chip — to eat
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. spell — letters
  13. last — to go on
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. spell — a short time
  17. tear — from crying
  18. tear — to rip
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. tear — from crying
  23. last — finally
  24. bark — to shout

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