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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. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. squash — the sport
  3. lean — thin
  4. row — a line
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. date — the fruit
  8. row — to paddle
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. bark — to shout
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. lean — to bend
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. chip — to eat
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. squash — to crush
  20. stock — shares
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. chip — for betting
  23. stock — goods
  24. lean — to rest against

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