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

Word bank: deal · bowl · date · squash · degree · stand · bark · club

  1. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. club — for golf
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. club — a group
  10. degree — temperature
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. degree — an amount
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. bark — to shout
  15. deal — to handle
  16. squash — the sport
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. squash — to crush
  19. degree — from a university
  20. club — for dancing
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. date — the fruit
  24. stand — to bear

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