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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. chip — to eat
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. pitch — completely
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. snap — to click
  9. perch — the fish
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. bark — to shout
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. chip — for betting
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. hand — help
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. dip — to sink
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. hand — in cards
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. hide — to keep secret

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