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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. present — the time now
  3. ground — a position
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. ground — crushed
  6. fork — in a road
  7. wind — moving air
  8. spell — letters
  9. deal — to handle
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. content — the amount
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. ground — the earth
  14. present — a gift
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. spell — magic
  17. wind — moving air
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. plane — a tool
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. content — happy
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. spell — a short time
  24. present — there

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