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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. cold — not warm
  3. firm — steady
  4. deal — to handle
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. spring — the season
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. bear — the animal
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. spring — of water
  14. chip — to eat
  15. firm — a company
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. bear — the animal
  18. firm — decided
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. chip — for betting
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. spring — a coil

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