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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. ground — crushed
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. ball — a great time
  7. rash — a series
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. mark — a grade
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. board — to get on
  14. rash — hasty
  15. board — a committee
  16. chip — for betting
  17. shower — rain
  18. ground — a position
  19. ball — a dance
  20. ground — the earth
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. shower — to wash
  23. mark — a trace
  24. racket — for tennis

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