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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. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. root — the cause
  4. deal — to handle
  5. shower — rain
  6. root — of a plant
  7. ground — the earth
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. bulb — for light
  10. bulb — for light
  11. root — of a word
  12. ground — a position
  13. cold — an illness
  14. charge — electricity
  15. march — the month
  16. ground — crushed
  17. charge — a price
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. cold — not warm
  20. charge — in control
  21. march — the month
  22. shower — to wash
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. march — music

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