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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 120 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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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 · staff · chip · cue · bark · can · land · racket

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. bark — to shout
  3. cue — for pool
  4. land — to come down
  5. ground — crushed
  6. can — a tin
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. chip — to eat
  10. can — to be able to
  11. ground — a position
  12. land — ground
  13. staff — a stick
  14. staff — employees
  15. cue — a signal
  16. chip — for betting
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. land — a country
  20. ground — the earth
  21. can — a tin
  22. cue — a hint
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. racket — for tennis

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