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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. chip — for betting
  4. mug — a face
  5. season — in sport
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. season — of the year
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. shower — to wash
  11. shower — rain
  12. mug — a cup
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. chip — to eat
  21. stand — to bear
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. mug — to rob
  24. bark — to shout

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