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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. bear — the animal
  3. deal — to handle
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. game — a match
  11. ball — a dance
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. ball — a great time
  14. dip — to sink
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. game — wild animals
  19. bear — the animal
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. wax — to grow
  22. saw — the tool
  23. snap — to click
  24. wax — for sculpting

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