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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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. bark — to shout
  4. snap — to click
  5. saw — the tool
  6. deal — to handle
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. saw — the tool
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. stock — goods
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. race — a contest
  13. race — humankind
  14. stock — shares
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. staff — a stick
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. staff — employees
  24. race — the arms race

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