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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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. deal — to handle
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. squash — to crush
  6. press — to push
  7. wound — an injury
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. wound — an injury
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. mug — a face
  12. kid — to tease
  13. kid — child
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. mug — a cup
  20. press — a publisher
  21. squash — the sport
  22. mug — to rob
  23. date — the fruit
  24. press — newspapers

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