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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. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. march — the month
  3. staff — a stick
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. swing — in golf
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. march — music
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. swing — music
  10. staff — employees
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. ground — crushed
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. ground — a position
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. deal — to handle
  19. row — a line
  20. ground — the earth
  21. swing — to play on
  22. march — the month
  23. row — to paddle
  24. staff — employees

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