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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. clip — for paper
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. wound — an injury
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. clip — a video
  8. rush — hurry
  9. cold — an illness
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. charge — electricity
  12. date — the fruit
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. wound — an injury
  16. stem — to come from
  17. charge — a price
  18. charge — in control
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. clip — to cut
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. cold — not warm
  24. stem — of a plant

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