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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. wake — a trail
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. rash — hasty
  6. land — ground
  7. lie — to recline
  8. swing — in golf
  9. swing — music
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. pop — music
  12. pop — soda
  13. spell — a short time
  14. rash — a series
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. spell — letters
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. swing — to play on
  19. spell — magic
  20. land — to come down
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. pop — to visit
  24. land — a country

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