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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. mug — a face
  3. field — a subject
  4. bark — to shout
  5. pass — a permit
  6. chip — to eat
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. field — farmland
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. stand — to bear
  12. mug — to rob
  13. mug — a cup
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. field — for sport
  18. chip — for betting
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. cell — in biology
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. deal — to handle
  23. cell — a phone
  24. cell — in a prison

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