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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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. shower — to wash
  8. capital — a city
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. capital — money
  12. fall — to drop
  13. perch — the fish
  14. fall — the season
  15. deal — to handle
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. shower — rain
  21. fall — to drop
  22. rush — hurry
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. deal — an agreement

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