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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. drill — army training
  3. bark — to shout
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. mate — to breed
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. mate — a partner
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. drill — the tool
  15. scale — in music
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. drill — a practice
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. dip — to sink
  23. deal — to handle
  24. mate — a friend

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