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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 ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. deal — to handle
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. mark — a grade
  9. rash — hasty
  10. pit — a hole
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. kid — child
  14. land — a country
  15. pit — in a race
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. mark — a trace
  20. land — to come down
  21. rash — a series
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. land — ground
  24. rush — hurry

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