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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: ball · chip · content · swing · mate · bark · nail · mine

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  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. bark — to shout
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. ball — a great time
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. content — the amount
  8. mine — for digging
  9. mate — a partner
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. swing — to play on
  13. swing — music
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. chip — to eat
  16. mate — to breed
  17. mate — a friend
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. content — happy
  21. chip — for betting
  22. ball — a dance
  23. swing — in golf
  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