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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. pitch — completely
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. shower — to wash
  13. saw — the tool
  14. bark — to shout
  15. tear — to rip
  16. tear — from crying
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. shower — rain
  19. deal — to handle
  20. scale — in music
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. tear — from crying
  24. scale — size or range

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