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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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. bat — the animal
  3. ball — a dance
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. hand — in cards
  6. rule — a law
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. row — to paddle
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. row — a line
  12. rush — hurry
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. hand — help
  18. rule — government
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. wax — to grow
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. ball — a great time
  24. hand — part of the body

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