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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 116 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: last · chip · season · net · rash · bay · pitcher · bark

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. rash — a series
  4. net — in sport
  5. season — of the year
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. last — to go on
  8. season — in sport
  9. chip — to eat
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. net — after costs
  14. rash — hasty
  15. bark — to shout
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. last — finally
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. net — for catching
  20. last — final
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. chip — for betting
  24. pitcher — a jug

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