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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 116 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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. ground — crushed
  3. ground — the earth
  4. dip — to sink
  5. kid — child
  6. kid — to tease
  7. rest — a break
  8. hand — in cards
  9. ground — a position
  10. race — the arms race
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. hand — help
  13. rest — what's left
  14. mug — to rob
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. rest — what's left
  18. deal — to handle
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. mug — a face
  22. mug — a cup
  23. race — humankind
  24. race — a contest

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