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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: bat · fine · chip · bear · hide · mine · shower · bark

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  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. fine — high quality
  2. fine — all right
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. mine — for digging
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. bat — the animal
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. chip — to eat
  11. bark — to shout
  12. bear — the animal
  13. chip — for betting
  14. shower — rain
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. shower — to wash
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. bear — the animal
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  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