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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 116 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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. field — farmland
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. rush — hurry
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. hand — help
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. hand — in cards
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. bark — to shout
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. snap — to click
  20. field — a subject
  21. deal — to handle
  22. field — for sport
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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