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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. key — in music
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. key — the most important part
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. rock — music
  8. deal — to handle
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. rule — government
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. row — a line
  16. rock — a stone
  17. wound — an injury
  18. bear — the animal
  19. bear — the animal
  20. rule — a law
  21. wound — an injury
  22. bark — to shout
  23. row — to paddle
  24. deal — an agreement

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