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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: bulb · capital · chip · pitcher · roll · squash · swing · bark

  1. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. squash — to crush
  4. roll — a list
  5. swing — music
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. capital — money
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. swing — to play on
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. roll — a cake
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. squash — the sport
  15. bark — to shout
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. bulb — for light
  18. bulb — for light
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. swing — in golf
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. capital — a city
  24. chip — to eat

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