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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. spell — magic
  3. mug — a cup
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. bear — the animal
  7. drill — the tool
  8. bear — the animal
  9. deal — to handle
  10. staff — employees
  11. row — to paddle
  12. mug — a face
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. drill — army training
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. staff — employees
  17. mug — to rob
  18. drill — a practice
  19. mine — for digging
  20. spell — letters
  21. staff — a stick
  22. spell — a short time
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. row — a line

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