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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 sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. staff — a stick
  3. chest — a box
  4. chip — for betting
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. shower — rain
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. scale — size or range
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. chip — to eat
  14. swing — to play on
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. staff — employees
  17. swing — music
  18. chest — of your body
  19. swing — in golf
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. shower — to wash
  22. staff — employees
  23. chest — of your body
  24. scale — in music

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