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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bark · bat · date · foot · drill · deal · field · suit

  1. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. date — the fruit
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. drill — the tool
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. suit — in cards
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. suit — to fit
  9. drill — army training
  10. field — for sport
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. foot — a measure
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. bark — to shout
  16. field — farmland
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. suit — clothes
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. bat — the animal
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. field — a subject
  23. drill — a practice
  24. deal — to handle

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