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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. ground — the earth
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. club — for dancing
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. mine — for digging
  10. lean — thin
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. deal — to handle
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. date — the fruit
  16. club — for golf
  17. club — a group
  18. ground — crushed
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. bark — to shout
  22. lean — to bend
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. ground — a position

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