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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. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. present — a gift
  3. track — a path
  4. bark — to shout
  5. charge — a price
  6. spring — of water
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. track — to keep track
  9. charge — electricity
  10. scale — size or range
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. track — a song
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. spring — the season
  15. spring — a coil
  16. charge — in control
  17. present — the time now
  18. fork — in a road
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. scale — in music
  23. present — there
  24. deal — to handle

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