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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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. game — a match
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. swing — music
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. staff — a stick
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. field — farmland
  12. deal — to handle
  13. field — for sport
  14. swing — in golf
  15. game — wild animals
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. swing — to play on
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. field — a subject
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. bark — to shout
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. staff — employees

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