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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. face — part of the head
  7. deal — to handle
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. file — a document
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. face — to confront
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. charge — a price
  15. rash — a series
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. charge — in control
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. face — to point toward
  21. file — a tool
  22. rash — hasty
  23. charge — electricity
  24. file — a line of people

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