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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. bat — the animal
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. face — to point toward
  8. court — of a king
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. spring — of water
  11. dip — to sink
  12. firm — a company
  13. firm — decided
  14. spring — a coil
  15. file — a tool
  16. file — a line of people
  17. spring — the season
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. face — part of the head
  20. face — to confront
  21. court — for sport
  22. court — of law
  23. file — a document
  24. firm — steady

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