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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. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. file — a tool
  5. can — a tin
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. bat — the animal
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. deal — to handle
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. file — a line of people
  15. pit — a hole
  16. can — to be able to
  17. file — a document
  18. pit — in a race
  19. bark — to shout
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. can — a tin
  23. pass — a permit
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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