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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. mug — a cup
  3. deal — to handle
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. mug — a face
  6. bark — to shout
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. swing — to play on
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. swing — music
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. mug — to rob
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. bat — the animal
  19. plane — a tool
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. dip — to sink
  24. swing — in golf

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