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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. deal — to handle
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. lean — thin
  7. fine — all right
  8. wind — moving air
  9. sharp — clever
  10. squash — to crush
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. snap — to click
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. fine — high quality
  16. object — a thing
  17. lean — to bend
  18. object — to protest
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. object — an aim
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. squash — the sport
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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