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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. pit — in a race
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. spell — a short time
  9. cell — in biology
  10. spell — magic
  11. present — a gift
  12. deal — to handle
  13. present — there
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. spell — letters
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. game — a match
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. bark — to shout
  22. present — the time now
  23. pit — a hole
  24. game — wild animals

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