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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. key — the most important part
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. board — a committee
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. row — to paddle
  8. wax — to grow
  9. wound — an injury
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. row — a line
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. wound — an injury
  16. key — for a lock
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. board — to get on
  19. deal — to handle
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. key — in music
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. dip — to sink

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