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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 120 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. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. saw — the tool
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. deal — to handle
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. content — the amount
  8. shower — to wash
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. suit — in cards
  11. shower — rain
  12. saw — the tool
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. foot — a measure
  18. bat — the animal
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. wax — to grow
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. content — happy
  23. suit — to fit
  24. suit — clothes

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