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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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. rule — government
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. snap — to click
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. capital — a city
  8. current — of water
  9. fall — to drop
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. row — to paddle
  12. rule — a law
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. fall — to drop
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. row — a line
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. capital — money
  20. current — electric
  21. current — happening now
  22. kid — child
  23. kid — to tease
  24. fall — the season

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