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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. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. suit — to fit
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. scale — in music
  6. capital — money
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. tear — from crying
  10. game — wild animals
  11. pit — a hole
  12. tear — from crying
  13. suit — in cards
  14. rule — a law
  15. scale — size or range
  16. pit — in a race
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. tear — to rip
  19. capital — a city
  20. game — a match
  21. rule — government
  22. deal — to handle
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. rule — to rule out

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