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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. object — an aim
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. row — to paddle
  6. net — after costs
  7. wax — to grow
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. net — for catching
  11. bat — the animal
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. chair — a leader
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. net — in sport
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. deal — to handle
  19. object — to protest
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. object — a thing
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. row — a line
  24. row — a quarrel

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