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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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. bound — certain
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. spell — a short time
  8. spell — letters
  9. bound — obliged
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. spell — magic
  13. file — a document
  14. bound — tied together
  15. rash — hasty
  16. file — a line of people
  17. rash — a series
  18. pitch — completely
  19. row — to paddle
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. wax — to grow
  23. file — a tool
  24. row — a line

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