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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. rash — a series
  3. club — for golf
  4. last — final
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. field — a subject
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. pit — in a race
  10. field — farmland
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. last — finally
  13. last — to go on
  14. pit — a hole
  15. club — for dancing
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. deal — to handle
  19. club — a group
  20. bark — to shout
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. field — for sport
  24. rash — hasty

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