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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. tear — to rip
  4. pop — music
  5. pass — a permit
  6. pop — soda
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. rock — music
  11. rock — a stone
  12. tear — from crying
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. snap — to click
  17. tear — from crying
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. pop — to visit
  22. deal — to handle
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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