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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. fine — all right
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. bank — of a river
  8. fine — high quality
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. ball — a dance
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. file — a tool
  14. file — a line of people
  15. file — a document
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. ball — a great time
  18. wake — a trail
  19. bank — for money
  20. bank — for money
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. rush — hurry
  23. snap — to click
  24. deal — to handle

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