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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. snap — to click
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. deal — to handle
  6. club — for dancing
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. club — for golf
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. bark — to shout
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. straw — dry grass

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