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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. deal — to handle
  3. ball — a dance
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. ball — a great time
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. foot — a measure
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. game — a match
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. spell — letters
  16. cold — not warm
  17. spell — magic
  18. game — wild animals
  19. wax — to grow
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. spell — a short time
  24. wax — in the ear

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