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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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. spell — a short time
  11. spell — letters
  12. hand — in cards
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. spell — magic
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. bark — to shout
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. hand — help
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. cabinet — ministers

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