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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. staff — employees
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. season — of the year
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. can — a tin
  9. rule — a law
  10. can — a tin
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. prune — to trim
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. staff — employees
  15. prune — to trim
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. staff — a stick
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. snap — to click
  20. season — in sport
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. can — to be able to
  23. deal — to handle
  24. rule — government

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