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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. file — a document
  3. deal — to handle
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. file — a line of people
  11. toast — bread
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. rock — a stone
  14. ball — a dance
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. drill — army training
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. file — a tool
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. bark — to shout
  21. drill — the tool
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. drill — a practice
  24. ball — a great time

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