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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. spell — letters
  4. hand — help
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. deal — to handle
  11. rock — a stone
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. fine — all right
  14. snap — to click
  15. spell — a short time
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. scale — in music
  18. scale — size or range
  19. fine — high quality
  20. bat — the animal
  21. rock — music
  22. spell — magic
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. fine — a penalty

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