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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 120 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 assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. sharp — clever
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. snap — to click
  5. cap — a lid
  6. cap — of ice
  7. saw — the tool
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. cap — a hat
  10. fine — high quality
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. saw — the tool
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. hand — in cards
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. deal — to handle
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. hand — help

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