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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  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. stick — a piece of wood
  2. deal — to handle
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. swing — to play on
  5. spell — letters
  6. game — wild animals
  7. cap — a hat
  8. spell — a short time
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. cap — a lid
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. fall — the season
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. spell — magic
  16. fall — to drop
  17. swing — in golf
  18. swing — music
  19. cap — of ice
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. fall — to drop
  22. game — a match
  23. deal — a big deal
  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