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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. fine — high quality
  3. rock — a stone
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. rash — hasty
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. shower — rain
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. cell — a phone
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. fine — all right
  13. rock — music
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. cell — in biology
  16. present — the time now
  17. hand — in cards
  18. hand — help
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. rash — a series
  21. present — there
  22. shower — to wash
  23. present — a gift
  24. deal — to handle

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