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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. present — there
  3. mug — a face
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. wound — an injury
  6. scale — size or range
  7. present — a gift
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. mug — a cup
  10. present — the time now
  11. scale — in music
  12. deal — to handle
  13. face — part of the head
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. face — to point toward
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. wound — an injury
  18. squash — to crush
  19. face — to confront
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. squash — the sport
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. mug — to rob

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