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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 120 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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. charge — a price
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. lean — to bend
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. charge — electricity
  7. bark — to shout
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. clip — for paper
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. lean — thin
  12. deal — to handle
  13. rest — what's left
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. charge — in control
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. pound — a weight
  18. rest — what's left
  19. rest — a break
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. clip — to cut
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. clip — a video
  24. deal — a big deal

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