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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 potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. bark — to shout
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. chest — of your body
  6. chip — for betting
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. rash — a series
  10. chest — of your body
  11. press — newspapers
  12. pound — a weight
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. press — to push
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. press — a publisher
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. chest — a box
  23. rash — hasty
  24. bowl — to roll

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