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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  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. shower — to wash
  3. deal — to handle
  4. roll — a cake
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. mark — a trace
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. shower — rain
  9. mark — a grade
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. roll — a list
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. band — a music group
  14. band — a ring
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. mine — for digging
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. fine — all right
  20. fine — high quality
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. mine — an explosive
  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