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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 124 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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. race — humankind
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. hand — help
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. rule — government
  10. swing — to play on
  11. swing — in golf
  12. swing — music
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. fall — to drop
  15. hand — in cards
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. fall — the season
  19. rule — a law
  20. fall — to drop
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. race — a contest
  24. race — the arms race

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