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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. scale — size or range
  3. tube — a container
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. tube — the underground
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. hand — in cards
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. deal — to handle
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. scale — in music
  15. hand — help
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. game — wild animals
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. game — a match
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. wax — to grow
  24. mouse — for a computer

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