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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 116 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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. chip — to eat
  3. wound — an injury
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. bark — to shout
  7. rash — a series
  8. rash — hasty
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. swing — music
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. swing — to play on
  14. squash — the sport
  15. swing — in golf
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. squash — to crush
  20. chip — for betting
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. wound — an injury
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. fan — to cool the air

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