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

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. rush — hurry
  4. hand — help
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. bank — for money
  7. last — finally
  8. last — final
  9. deal — to handle
  10. dip — to sink
  11. hand — in cards
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. bank — of a river
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. fine — high quality
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. bank — for money
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. last — to go on
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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