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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 120 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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. land — a country
  3. bound — certain
  4. bound — tied together
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. staff — employees
  9. object — to protest
  10. fork — in a road
  11. staff — employees
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. object — a thing
  14. deal — to handle
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. object — an aim
  18. land — to come down
  19. content — happy
  20. staff — a stick
  21. bound — obliged
  22. land — ground
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. content — the amount

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