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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. hand — help
  3. bear — the animal
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. deal — to handle
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. clip — a video
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. object — a thing
  12. bark — to shout
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. clip — to cut
  15. object — to protest
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. bear — the animal
  19. clip — for paper
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. mine — for digging
  23. hand — in cards
  24. object — an aim

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