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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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. deal — to handle
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. pit — a hole
  5. bark — to shout
  6. mark — a trace
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. kid — child
  9. last — to go on
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. kid — to tease
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. squash — the sport
  14. last — final
  15. mark — a grade
  16. squash — to crush
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. last — finally
  22. pit — in a race
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. calf — of the leg

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