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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. press — a publisher
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. press — newspapers
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. bark — to shout
  11. clip — to cut
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. mine — for digging
  14. track — to keep track
  15. track — a song
  16. press — to push
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. track — a path
  20. clip — for paper
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. clip — a video
  24. lie — to recline

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