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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 124 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. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. chair — a leader
  3. spring — a coil
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. track — a song
  6. spring — the season
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. track — a path
  10. track — to keep track
  11. fine — all right
  12. drill — the tool
  13. fine — high quality
  14. drill — army training
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. drill — a practice
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. deal — to handle
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. spring — of water

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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