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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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  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 — to handle
  2. drill — a practice
  3. ball — a dance
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. drill — army training
  9. wax — to grow
  10. bank — for money
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. bank — of a river
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. content — happy
  16. shower — rain
  17. bank — for money
  18. drill — the tool
  19. ball — a great time
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. shower — to wash
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. racket — a loud noise
  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