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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. chip — for betting
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. capital — money
  6. bulb — for light
  7. hand — help
  8. can — to be able to
  9. chip — to eat
  10. can — a tin
  11. capital — a city
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. hand — in cards
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. bulb — for light
  16. rush — hurry
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. pit — in a race
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. can — a tin
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. pit — a hole
  24. bark — to shout

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