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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: dip · shower · object · bark · chip · content · swing · roll

  1. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. chip — to eat
  3. swing — in golf
  4. object — a thing
  5. chip — for betting
  6. content — happy
  7. shower — to wash
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. shower — rain
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. bark — to shout
  12. content — the amount
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. object — to protest
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. dip — to sink
  17. roll — a cake
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. roll — a list
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. swing — to play on
  24. object — an aim

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