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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. squash — the sport
  3. deal — to handle
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. file — a line of people
  8. root — the cause
  9. file — a tool
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. saw — the tool
  12. file — a document
  13. net — for catching
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. net — after costs
  16. root — of a plant
  17. spell — magic
  18. root — of a word
  19. squash — to crush
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. spell — a short time
  23. spell — letters
  24. net — in sport

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