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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. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. mine — for digging
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. chip — to eat
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. squash — the sport
  7. rash — a series
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. wound — an injury
  11. squash — to crush
  12. wound — an injury
  13. bark — to shout
  14. season — of the year
  15. kick — in football
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. season — in sport
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. rash — hasty
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. chip — for betting
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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