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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. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. wake — a trail
  8. plane — a tool
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. chip — to eat
  12. hand — help
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. bat — the animal
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. object — an aim
  18. hand — in cards
  19. object — to protest
  20. chip — for betting
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. object — a thing

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