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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. staff — employees
  4. stand — to bear
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. club — for dancing
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. deal — to handle
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. race — a contest
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. club — for golf
  13. staff — employees
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. race — the arms race
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. club — a group
  19. chair — a leader
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. race — humankind
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. staff — a stick

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