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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 polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. cap — of ice
  3. cold — an illness
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. can — a tin
  8. can — a tin
  9. pitch — completely
  10. tear — from crying
  11. can — to be able to
  12. tear — from crying
  13. cap — a hat
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. club — for dancing
  16. scale — in music
  17. scale — size or range
  18. cold — not warm
  19. tear — to rip
  20. cap — a lid
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. club — for golf
  23. deal — to handle
  24. club — a group

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