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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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. tube — a container
  3. wind — moving air
  4. wind — moving air
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. spell — letters
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. clip — a video
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. spell — a short time
  14. key — in music
  15. tube — the underground
  16. key — for a lock
  17. snap — to click
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. spell — magic
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. key — the most important part
  22. clip — for paper
  23. clip — to cut
  24. deal — an agreement

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