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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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. deal — to handle
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. chest — of your body
  6. pop — music
  7. chest — a box
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. pitch — completely
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. pop — soda
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. pop — to visit
  18. chest — of your body
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. lie — to recline
  22. mine — for digging
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. pitch — a sports field

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