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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. root — of a word
  4. face — part of the head
  5. face — to confront
  6. content — happy
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. object — an aim
  9. pound — a weight
  10. face — to point toward
  11. rock — a stone
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. deal — to handle
  15. object — to protest
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. rock — music
  19. root — of a plant
  20. content — the amount
  21. object — a thing
  22. root — the cause
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. rock — to move gently

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