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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 116 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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. perch — the fish
  3. wound — an injury
  4. branch — a division
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. court — of a king
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. staff — a stick
  9. court — of law
  10. staff — employees
  11. chair — a leader
  12. suit — in cards
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. wound — an injury
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. deal — to handle
  19. suit — clothes
  20. suit — to fit
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. court — for sport
  24. staff — employees

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