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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. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. date — the fruit
  3. deal — to handle
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. club — a group
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. sharp — clever
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. race — a contest
  12. club — for dancing
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. race — humankind
  15. vault — a safe
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. cell — in biology
  18. cell — a phone
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. race — the arms race
  24. club — for golf

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