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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. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. fall — the season
  3. staff — employees
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. staff — a stick
  6. deal — to handle
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. fall — to drop
  10. wax — to grow
  11. fall — to drop
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. fine — all right
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. fine — high quality
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. staff — employees
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. fine — a penalty

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