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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.

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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. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. cap — a lid
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. deal — to handle
  8. cap — a hat
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. spring — a coil
  11. spring — the season
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. shower — to wash
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. spring — of water
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. shower — rain
  19. pitch — completely
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. cap — of ice
  24. pass — a permit

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