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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: chip · land · mark · safe · bear · drill · bark · bat

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. chip — for betting
  4. land — ground
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. mark — a trace
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. bear — the animal
  9. mark — a grade
  10. drill — a practice
  11. drill — army training
  12. chip — to eat
  13. bark — to shout
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. drill — the tool
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. bear — the animal
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. bat — the animal
  23. land — to come down
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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