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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. row — a line
  3. dip — to sink
  4. content — the amount
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. content — happy
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. fork — in a road
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. roll — a cake
  14. swing — music
  15. roll — a list
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. swing — to play on
  19. swing — in golf
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. row — to paddle
  24. deal — to handle

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