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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. clip — a video
  5. bound — obliged
  6. bound — certain
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. cold — not warm
  9. deal — to handle
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. clip — to cut
  12. perch — the fish
  13. cold — an illness
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. pit — in a race
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. clip — for paper
  18. pit — a hole
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. bound — tied together

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