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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 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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. clip — for paper
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. pound — a weight
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. ground — a position
  8. squash — to crush
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. court — for sport
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. deal — to handle
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. clip — to cut
  15. lie — to recline
  16. court — of a king
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. squash — the sport
  19. ground — the earth
  20. court — of law
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. clip — a video
  24. ground — crushed

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