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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. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. chip — for betting
  3. bark — to shout
  4. firm — decided
  5. bass — the fish
  6. wind — moving air
  7. chip — to eat
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. firm — a company
  10. firm — steady
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. wind — moving air
  13. cue — a signal
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. court — of law
  16. cue — a hint
  17. row — a line
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. court — of a king
  20. bass — low music
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. cue — for pool
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. row — to paddle

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