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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 116 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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. can — to be able to
  4. ground — crushed
  5. court — of a king
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. deal — to handle
  9. court — of law
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. shower — to wash
  12. pit — in a race
  13. ground — a position
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. can — a tin
  16. pit — a hole
  17. shower — rain
  18. can — a tin
  19. court — for sport
  20. ground — the earth
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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