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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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. mine — for digging
  4. cold — not warm
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. scale — size or range
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. cold — an illness
  12. fine — all right
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. pass — a permit
  15. pound — a weight
  16. snap — to click
  17. scale — in music
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. fine — high quality
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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