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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. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. chip — for betting
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. row — to paddle
  6. fork — in a road
  7. stem — to come from
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. court — of a king
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. kid — child
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. bark — to shout
  19. court — for sport
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. court — of law
  22. row — a line
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. kid — to tease

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