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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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. spell — letters
  4. cap — of ice
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. ball — a great time
  7. ball — a dance
  8. wound — an injury
  9. mate — a friend
  10. spell — a short time
  11. cap — a hat
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. mate — to breed
  14. wound — an injury
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. saw — the tool
  17. spell — magic
  18. mate — a partner
  19. saw — the tool
  20. cap — a lid
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. deal — a big deal

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