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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. chip — for betting
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. charge — a price
  6. bark — to shout
  7. clip — to cut
  8. clip — a video
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. chip — to eat
  12. vault — a safe
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. clip — for paper
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. charge — electricity
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. deal — to handle
  22. kick — in football
  23. charge — in control
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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