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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: deal · tube · rule · saw · chair · content · snap · lie

  1. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. tube — a container
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. saw — the tool
  7. rule — government
  8. chair — a leader
  9. saw — the tool
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. lie — to recline
  14. content — happy
  15. tube — the underground
  16. deal — to handle
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. rule — a law
  20. snap — to click
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. content — the amount

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