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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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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: bark · kick · stock · chip · cell · sharp · pound · swing

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. cell — in biology
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. stock — goods
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. kick — in football
  9. sharp — clever
  10. pound — a weight
  11. swing — in golf
  12. cell — a phone
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. chip — to eat
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. swing — to play on
  21. stock — shares
  22. swing — music
  23. chip — for betting
  24. bark — to shout

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