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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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. lean — thin
  3. mine — for digging
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. lean — to bend
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. pop — to visit
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. wind — moving air
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. swing — in golf
  13. swing — music
  14. pop — music
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. swing — to play on
  17. pit — in a race
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. pit — a hole
  20. bark — to shout
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. wind — moving air
  23. pop — soda
  24. mine — belonging to me

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