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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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. hand — in cards
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. foot — a measure
  5. hand — help
  6. staff — a stick
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. mine — for digging
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. staff — employees
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. staff — employees
  24. bark — to shout

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