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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. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. cell — in biology
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. pop — to visit
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. pop — soda
  13. game — a match
  14. fine — high quality
  15. cell — a phone
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. game — wild animals
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. stock — shares
  20. stock — goods
  21. pop — music
  22. fine — all right
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. bark — to shout

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