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

Word bank: press · spell · bay · drill · cell · deal · squash · snap

  1. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. drill — the tool
  3. squash — to crush
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. spell — magic
  12. press — newspapers
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. deal — to handle
  15. spell — a short time
  16. squash — the sport
  17. cell — in biology
  18. press — a publisher
  19. drill — army training
  20. spell — letters
  21. cell — a phone
  22. press — to push
  23. snap — to click
  24. drill — a practice

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