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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 120 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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. deal — to handle
  5. swing — to play on
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. clip — for paper
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. wake — a trail
  11. clip — a video
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. swing — in golf
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. clip — to cut
  20. bark — to shout
  21. fork — in a road
  22. swing — music
  23. object — an aim
  24. object — a thing

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