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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 116 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. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. file — a line of people
  4. staff — employees
  5. deal — to handle
  6. club — for golf
  7. club — a group
  8. staff — a stick
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. file — a document
  11. clip — to cut
  12. file — a tool
  13. saw — the tool
  14. club — for dancing
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. lie — to recline
  17. staff — employees
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. clip — a video
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. vault — a safe
  22. saw — the tool
  23. clip — for paper
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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