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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. pop — soda
  3. present — the time now
  4. present — there
  5. foot — a measure
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. last — final
  8. bark — to shout
  9. club — for dancing
  10. row — to paddle
  11. club — a group
  12. row — a line
  13. pop — music
  14. chip — to eat
  15. club — for golf
  16. last — to go on
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. pop — to visit
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. last — finally
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. chip — for betting

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