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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. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. present — a gift
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. spell — letters
  8. kid — to tease
  9. deal — to handle
  10. spell — magic
  11. hand — help
  12. spell — a short time
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. present — the time now
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. hand — in cards
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. squash — the sport
  20. present — there
  21. kid — child
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. squash — to crush

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