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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. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. deal — to handle
  5. scale — size or range
  6. rule — a law
  7. pound — a weight
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. rule — government
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. field — a subject
  12. field — for sport
  13. scale — in music
  14. bass — the fish
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. field — farmland
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. bass — low music
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. deal — an agreement

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