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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 116 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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. pass — a permit
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. staff — employees
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. ground — a position
  7. staff — a stick
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. ground — crushed
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. game — a match
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. bark — to shout
  15. ground — the earth
  16. staff — employees
  17. deal — to handle
  18. game — a kind of play

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