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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.

Make a worksheet

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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468
Word bank
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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. kid — to tease
  4. deal — to handle
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. spring — a coil
  7. spring — of water
  8. key — the most important part
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. key — in music
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. chip — for betting
  14. kid — child
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. cold — not warm
  17. chip — to eat
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. board — to get on
  21. spring — the season
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. key — for a lock
  24. board — a committee

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