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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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. drill — army training
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. roll — a cake
  5. craft — a skill
  6. deal — to handle
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. snap — to click
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. spring — of water
  13. craft — boats
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. date — the fruit
  16. spring — a coil
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. spring — the season
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. drill — the tool
  22. drill — a practice
  23. roll — a list
  24. craft — a handicraft

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