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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 girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. snap — to click
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. drill — a practice
  5. drill — army training
  6. staff — employees
  7. file — a line of people
  8. file — a document
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. drill — the tool
  11. deal — to handle
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. charge — electricity
  14. row — to paddle
  15. charge — in control
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. file — a tool
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. staff — a stick
  20. charge — a price
  21. bark — to shout
  22. staff — employees
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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