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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 116 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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. can — a tin
  3. spell — a short time
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. shower — rain
  6. file — a document
  7. squash — the sport
  8. file — a tool
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. shower — to wash
  11. spell — letters
  12. file — a line of people
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. squash — to crush
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. spell — magic
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. can — a tin
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. can — to be able to
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. deal — to handle

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