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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. deal — to handle
  5. kid — child
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. kid — to tease
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. pop — to visit
  13. land — ground
  14. wake — a trail
  15. fine — high quality
  16. pop — soda
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. pop — music
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. land — a country
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. land — to come down
  24. snap — to click

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