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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. drill — army training
  5. drill — a practice
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. deal — to handle
  8. ball — a great time
  9. bear — the animal
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. bear — the animal
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. dip — to sink
  14. field — farmland
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. field — for sport
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. ball — a dance
  22. field — a subject
  23. drill — the tool
  24. dip — a sauce

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