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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. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. season — of the year
  5. fine — all right
  6. bass — the fish
  7. dip — to sink
  8. scale — in music
  9. bass — low music
  10. deal — to handle
  11. scale — size or range
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. snap — to click
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. spell — letters
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. season — in sport
  22. spell — magic
  23. spell — a short time
  24. fine — high quality

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