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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 information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. file — a document
  3. plane — a tool
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. chair — a leader
  6. rock — music
  7. file — a line of people
  8. file — a tool
  9. squash — to crush
  10. wind — moving air
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. squash — the sport
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. tear — to rip
  16. tear — from crying
  17. tear — from crying
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. wind — moving air
  21. deal — to handle
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. rock — a stone

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