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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. swing — to play on
  3. chip — to eat
  4. shower — rain
  5. content — the amount
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. swing — music
  8. swing — in golf
  9. bark — to shout
  10. key — in music
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. key — the most important part
  14. chip — for betting
  15. content — happy
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. key — for a lock
  19. club — a group
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. club — for golf
  22. shower — to wash
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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