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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 116 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 get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. pop — soda
  5. pop — to visit
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. key — for a lock
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. season — of the year
  10. key — the most important part
  11. bark — to shout
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. rash — a series
  14. season — in sport
  15. rash — hasty
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. bore — to drill
  21. pop — music
  22. bore — to tire
  23. key — in music
  24. kick — in football

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