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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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. bark — to shout
  3. object — a thing
  4. snap — to click
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. band — a music group
  9. date — the fruit
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. band — a ring
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. object — an aim
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. object — to protest
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. deal — to handle
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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