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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. wound — an injury
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. rash — a series
  6. spring — of water
  7. ground — a position
  8. rule — government
  9. ground — crushed
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. club — a group
  12. spring — the season
  13. club — for golf
  14. current — happening now
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. current — electric
  17. rule — a law
  18. club — for dancing
  19. deal — to handle
  20. ground — the earth
  21. rash — hasty
  22. current — of water
  23. wound — an injury
  24. spring — a coil

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