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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 120 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 was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. land — to come down
  3. net — for catching
  4. bark — to shout
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. net — in sport
  10. net — after costs
  11. club — for golf
  12. rush — hurry
  13. club — for dancing
  14. club — a group
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. ball — a dance
  18. chip — to eat
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. chip — for betting
  22. land — a country
  23. land — ground
  24. racket — a loud noise

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