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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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. bore — to tire
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. rash — a series
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. sharp — clever
  9. bound — obliged
  10. chest — a box
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. rash — hasty
  13. chest — of your body
  14. bound — tied together
  15. bore — to drill
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. chest — of your body
  19. wake — a trail
  20. bound — certain
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. sharp — with an edge

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