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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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  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 — to handle
  2. swing — music
  3. fine — all right
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. mark — a grade
  6. land — ground
  7. hand — help
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. hand — in cards
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. land — a country
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. fine — high quality
  16. mark — a trace
  17. cell — in biology
  18. cell — a phone
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. swing — to play on
  22. bark — to shout
  23. land — to come down
  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