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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. face — to confront
  3. face — part of the head
  4. deal — to handle
  5. drill — the tool
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. track — a song
  8. face — to point toward
  9. bass — the fish
  10. track — a path
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. drill — army training
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. bass — low music
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. foot — a measure
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. drill — a practice
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. perch — the fish
  23. track — to keep track
  24. dip — to sink

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