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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 120 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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. face — to confront
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. wax — to grow
  8. staff — employees
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. staff — a stick
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. face — part of the head
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. bass — the fish
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. vault — a safe
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. bass — low music
  23. face — to point toward
  24. staff — employees

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