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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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. race — humankind
  7. row — to paddle
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. race — a contest
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. race — the arms race
  15. bark — to shout
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. mark — a grade
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. foot — a measure
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. row — a line
  23. mark — a trace
  24. pitcher — a jug

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