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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  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. squash — the sport
  2. bass — the fish
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. chip — to eat
  5. bat — the animal
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. mark — a trace
  11. fork — in a road
  12. chair — a leader
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. bass — low music
  15. squash — to crush
  16. bark — to shout
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. mark — a grade
  19. chip — for betting
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. chair — a professorship
  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