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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. pit — a hole
  3. club — a group
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. deal — to handle
  10. bark — to shout
  11. plane — a tool
  12. pit — in a race
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. club — for golf
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. row — a line
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. club — for dancing
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. row — to paddle

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