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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  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. snap — to click
  2. chip — for betting
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. pop — to visit
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. bark — to shout
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. bound — certain
  12. bound — obliged
  13. dip — to sink
  14. pop — soda
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. bound — tied together
  17. foot — a measure
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. chip — to eat
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. pop — music
  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