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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  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. bark — of a tree
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. fine — all right
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. club — for dancing
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. club — for golf
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. fine — high quality
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. deal — to handle
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. bark — to shout
  22. club — a group
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  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