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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. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. net — in sport
  6. season — in sport
  7. net — after costs
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. season — of the year
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. bark — to shout
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. spell — letters
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. deal — to handle
  16. spell — a short time
  17. spell — magic
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. net — for catching
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. lie — to recline
  24. sharp — clever

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