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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 124 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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. wound — an injury
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. ball — a dance
  7. lean — to bend
  8. saw — the tool
  9. craft — a skill
  10. saw — the tool
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. deal — to handle
  13. squash — to crush
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. wound — an injury
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. squash — the sport
  19. lean — thin
  20. fork — in a road
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. craft — boats
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. ball — a great time

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