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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. swing — music
  3. object — a thing
  4. last — final
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. deal — to handle
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. last — finally
  10. hand — in cards
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. swing — to play on
  14. swing — in golf
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. dip — to sink
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. hand — help
  21. object — an aim
  22. last — to go on
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. deal — a big deal

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