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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bark · cue · net · ground · date · rush · chip · nail

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. cue — a signal
  5. date — the fruit
  6. net — for catching
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. cue — a hint
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. ground — crushed
  13. chip — for betting
  14. ground — a position
  15. bark — to shout
  16. chip — to eat
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. net — in sport
  20. cue — for pool
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. ground — the earth
  23. rush — hurry
  24. nail — for a hammer

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