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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. deal — to handle
  3. squash — the sport
  4. court — of a king
  5. squash — to crush
  6. tear — to rip
  7. tear — from crying
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. court — of law
  12. cell — a phone
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. tear — from crying
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. court — for sport
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. scale — in music
  24. scale — size or range

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