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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. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. rush — hurry
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. fall — the season
  6. rock — music
  7. rock — a stone
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. fall — to drop
  17. fall — to drop
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. chip — to eat
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. chip — for betting

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