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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. present — a gift
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. degree — temperature
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. bass — the fish
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. bass — low music
  9. bank — for money
  10. bank — of a river
  11. present — there
  12. saw — the tool
  13. present — the time now
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. deal — to handle
  19. degree — an amount
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. degree — from a university
  23. bank — for money
  24. saw — the tool

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