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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. staff — a stick
  3. saw — the tool
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. bark — to shout
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. suit — in cards
  8. dip — to sink
  9. chip — to eat
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. game — a match
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. chip — for betting
  16. suit — to fit
  17. suit — clothes
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. staff — employees
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. game — wild animals
  22. staff — employees
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. chip — in a computer

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