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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: fine · shower · tear · chip · roll · bay · bark · present

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. chip — to eat
  3. tear — from crying
  4. present — there
  5. bark — to shout
  6. fine — high quality
  7. present — the time now
  8. shower — rain
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. roll — a list
  11. fine — all right
  12. tear — from crying
  13. shower — to wash
  14. present — a gift
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. tear — to rip
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. chip — for betting

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