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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. rule — a law
  6. degree — temperature
  7. lean — to bend
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. lean — thin
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. rule — government
  13. bat — the animal
  14. degree — an amount
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. hand — in cards
  17. degree — from a university
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. hand — help
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. deal — an agreement

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