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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. bore — to tire
  3. deal — to handle
  4. ground — crushed
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. staff — a stick
  7. pass — a permit
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. bark — to shout
  10. staff — employees
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. ground — a position
  17. game — a match
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. bore — to drill
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. staff — employees
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. ground — the earth
  24. game — wild animals

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