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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. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. face — part of the head
  7. bat — the animal
  8. face — to confront
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. snap — to click
  11. deal — to handle
  12. bark — to shout
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. pound — a weight
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. face — to point toward
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. season — of the year
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. season — in sport

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