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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. That was a fun ________________.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. game — a match
  3. game — wild animals
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. file — a tool
  6. file — a line of people
  7. chair — a leader
  8. rock — a stone
  9. rest — a break
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. rock — music
  12. saw — the tool
  13. rest — what's left
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. saw — the tool
  16. mug — a cup
  17. file — a document
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. mug — to rob
  20. mug — a face
  21. deal — to handle
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. rest — what's left
  24. deal — an agreement

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