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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. tube — a container
  4. last — to go on
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. season — in sport
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. hand — in cards
  10. deal — to handle
  11. last — final
  12. bore — to drill
  13. dip — to sink
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. bore — to tire
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. tube — the underground
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. season — of the year
  21. last — finally
  22. hand — help
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. dip — to dunk

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