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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. That must've been a ________________.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. cell — a phone
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. bark — to shout
  7. cap — a lid
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. swing — in golf
  10. deal — to handle
  11. rush — hurry
  12. cell — in biology
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. swing — music
  15. chest — a box
  16. chest — of your body
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. cap — a hat
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. cap — of ice
  23. swing — to play on
  24. chest — of your body

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