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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: ground · chip · present · mark · bark · hide · roll · squash

  1. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. ground — the earth
  3. chip — to eat
  4. present — a gift
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. roll — a cake
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. roll — a list
  10. ground — crushed
  11. present — there
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. chip — for betting
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. present — the time now
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. squash — the sport
  18. mark — a trace
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. bark — to shout
  21. ground — a position
  22. mark — a grade
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. squash — to crush

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