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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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. nail — on a finger
  4. cue — a hint
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. file — a tool
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. season — of the year
  11. face — to confront
  12. file — a line of people
  13. deal — to handle
  14. hand — help
  15. stand — to bear
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. face — part of the head
  18. season — in sport
  19. hand — in cards
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. face — to point toward
  22. cue — for pool
  23. cue — a signal
  24. file — a document

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