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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. pitch — completely
  4. bark — to shout
  5. swing — to play on
  6. mark — a trace
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. wind — moving air
  9. swing — music
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. snap — to click
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. saw — the tool
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. saw — the tool
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. mark — a grade
  21. swing — in golf
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. deal — to handle
  24. wind — moving air

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