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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. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  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. chip — to eat
  2. fall — the season
  3. spell — a short time
  4. foot — a measure
  5. fall — to drop
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. hand — help
  10. hand — in cards
  11. tear — from crying
  12. spell — letters
  13. bark — to shout
  14. ball — a great time
  15. fall — to drop
  16. ball — a dance
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. tear — to rip
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. tear — from crying
  22. spell — magic
  23. foot — part of the body
  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