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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 120 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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. object — a thing
  4. cap — of ice
  5. object — an aim
  6. cell — a phone
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. deal — to handle
  9. cell — in biology
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. capital — money
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. object — to protest
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. cap — a lid
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. game — wild animals
  20. game — a match
  21. capital — a city
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. cap — a hat
  24. capital — a big letter

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