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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 · pitcher · deal · rush · bay · snap · game · stick

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. rush — hurry
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. snap — to click
  8. deal — to handle
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. game — wild animals
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. bark — to shout

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