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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. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. mark — a trace
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. season — of the year
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. present — there
  7. deal — to handle
  8. rest — what's left
  9. hand — help
  10. rest — what's left
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. season — in sport
  13. rest — a break
  14. present — the time now
  15. shower — to wash
  16. present — a gift
  17. mark — a grade
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. shower — rain
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. ball — a dance
  22. ball — a great time
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. hand — in cards

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