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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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. scale — in music
  7. dip — to sink
  8. shower — rain
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. scale — size or range
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. clip — a video
  13. pound — a weight
  14. deal — to handle
  15. clip — to cut
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. rash — a series
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. shower — to wash
  22. clip — for paper
  23. rash — hasty
  24. rash — on the skin

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