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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: sharp · squash · bark · chip · wind · ball · pop · bay

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  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. wind — moving air
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. ball — a great time
  4. sharp — clever
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. pop — to visit
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. bark — to shout
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. chip — for betting
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. pop — music
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. pop — soda
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. wind — moving air
  20. ball — a dance
  21. squash — to crush
  22. squash — the sport
  23. wind — to turn a key
  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