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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. deal — to handle
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. rush — hurry
  7. saw — the tool
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. season — of the year
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. wound — an injury
  15. saw — the tool
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. bark — to shout
  19. wound — an injury
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. season — in sport

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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