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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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. roll — a cake
  3. ground — a position
  4. last — to go on
  5. last — finally
  6. lean — thin
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. roll — a list
  9. charge — a price
  10. cap — a lid
  11. last — final
  12. charge — electricity
  13. charge — in control
  14. deal — to handle
  15. ground — crushed
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. ground — the earth
  18. scale — in music
  19. cap — of ice
  20. cap — a hat
  21. lean — to bend
  22. scale — size or range
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. lean — to rest against

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