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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. game — wild animals
  3. game — a match
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. wax — to grow
  6. pop — to visit
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. ground — a position
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. deal — to handle
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. pop — music
  14. ground — crushed
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. rule — government
  18. ground — the earth
  19. mark — a trace
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. mark — a grade
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. pop — soda
  24. rule — a law

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