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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. track — a song
  5. hand — in cards
  6. band — a ring
  7. track — to keep track
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. snap — to click
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. hand — help
  12. rush — hurry
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. shower — rain
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. track — a path
  19. band — a music group
  20. shower — to wash
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. deal — to handle
  24. ruler — a monarch

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