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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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. last — to go on
  5. last — finally
  6. rest — what's left
  7. saw — the tool
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. cell — a phone
  10. rest — what's left
  11. cell — in biology
  12. rush — hurry
  13. rest — a break
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. saw — the tool
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. bulb — for light
  20. bulb — for light
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. last — final
  24. cell — in a prison

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