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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. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. wax — to grow
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. row — to paddle
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. hand — help
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. clip — a video
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. row — a line
  16. clip — to cut
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. chair — a leader
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. clip — for paper
  21. mine — for digging
  22. deal — to handle
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. bay — a horse colour

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