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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. degree — an amount
  3. fall — to drop
  4. degree — temperature
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. deal — to handle
  7. rule — government
  8. chip — to eat
  9. present — a gift
  10. degree — from a university
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. kid — child
  13. present — there
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. rule — a law
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. rush — hurry
  18. present — the time now
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. fall — the season
  21. chip — for betting
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. fall — to drop
  24. kid — to tease

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