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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 120 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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. fine — all right
  3. land — ground
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. bound — certain
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. bat — the animal
  10. land — a country
  11. fine — high quality
  12. land — to come down
  13. tube — the underground
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. bound — obliged
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. bark — to shout
  22. deal — to handle
  23. tube — a container
  24. bound — tied together

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