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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 ________________ went through the wall.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. spring — a coil
  4. net — for catching
  5. spring — of water
  6. wind — moving air
  7. net — after costs
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. rash — hasty
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. net — in sport
  13. spring — the season
  14. deal — to handle
  15. rule — government
  16. pop — soda
  17. wind — moving air
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. rule — a law
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. pop — music
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. pop — to visit
  24. rash — a series

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