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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. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. prune — to trim
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. present — the time now
  6. bark — to shout
  7. present — a gift
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. rule — government
  10. prune — to trim
  11. cap — a lid
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. deal — to handle
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. key — for a lock
  16. present — there
  17. key — in music
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. cap — of ice
  20. key — the most important part
  21. cap — a hat
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. rule — a law
  24. bark — of a tree

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