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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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. spell — letters
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. spell — a short time
  8. face — to point toward
  9. face — part of the head
  10. face — to confront
  11. bat — the animal
  12. shower — rain
  13. shower — to wash
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. branch — a division
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. spell — magic
  24. bat — for baseball

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