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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: date · bark · straw · racket · cabinet · jam · land · deal

  1. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. date — the fruit
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. deal — to handle
  12. bark — to shout
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. land — to come down
  17. land — a country
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. land — ground
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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