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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 120 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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. mate — to breed
  4. face — to confront
  5. mate — a friend
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. face — to point toward
  8. bass — the fish
  9. race — the arms race
  10. bass — low music
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. mate — a partner
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. face — part of the head
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. chair — a leader
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. squash — to crush
  22. race — humankind
  23. squash — the sport
  24. race — a contest

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