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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. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. wind — moving air
  4. fine — all right
  5. deal — to handle
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. wind — moving air
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. drill — a practice
  10. rash — a series
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. bound — tied together
  14. fine — high quality
  15. bound — obliged
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. bound — certain
  18. drill — army training
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. drill — the tool
  21. can — to be able to
  22. can — a tin
  23. can — a tin
  24. rash — hasty

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