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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. squash — the sport
  3. charge — in control
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. cap — a hat
  6. cap — a lid
  7. dip — to sink
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. fall — to drop
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. squash — to crush
  13. cap — of ice
  14. charge — electricity
  15. race — a contest
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. stock — goods
  18. fall — to drop
  19. deal — to handle
  20. race — the arms race
  21. stock — shares
  22. fall — the season
  23. race — humankind
  24. charge — a price

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