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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 120 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 dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. shower — rain
  3. court — of law
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. court — of a king
  8. rule — a law
  9. land — ground
  10. saw — the tool
  11. land — a country
  12. court — for sport
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. chip — for betting
  15. dip — to sink
  16. bark — to shout
  17. saw — the tool
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. land — to come down
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. shower — to wash
  23. rule — government
  24. chip — to eat

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