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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. cap — a hat
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. cap — of ice
  6. drill — army training
  7. plane — a tool
  8. saw — the tool
  9. bat — the animal
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. capital — money
  13. drill — a practice
  14. dip — to sink
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. cap — a lid
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. capital — a city
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. saw — the tool
  23. deal — to handle
  24. drill — the tool

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