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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: bowl · plane · snap · content · game · chip · mine · bark

  1. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. bark — to shout
  6. game — a match
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. chip — to eat
  9. snap — to click
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. chip — for betting
  12. content — happy
  13. content — the amount
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. plane — a tool
  21. game — wild animals
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. mine — for digging

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