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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. lean — thin
  4. land — to come down
  5. present — the time now
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. rash — a series
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. lean — to bend
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. present — there
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. land — a country
  18. present — a gift
  19. deal — to handle
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. bat — the animal
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. rash — hasty
  24. land — ground

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