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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. rash — a series
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. saw — the tool
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. mark — a trace
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. hand — help
  9. rash — hasty
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. hand — in cards
  14. face — part of the head
  15. branch — a division
  16. face — to point toward
  17. mark — a grade
  18. face — to confront
  19. sharp — clever
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. deal — to handle
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. sharp — exactly

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