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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. foot — a measure
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. pop — music
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. cell — in biology
  10. pop — soda
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. cell — a phone
  15. bark — to shout
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. wind — moving air
  18. pop — to visit
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. deal — to handle
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. wind — moving air
  24. deal — a big deal

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