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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. wound — an injury
  7. bear — the animal
  8. wound — an injury
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. fall — to drop
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. bass — the fish
  14. clip — to cut
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. fall — to drop
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. bear — the animal
  19. clip — for paper
  20. bass — low music
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. clip — a video
  23. fall — the season
  24. cabinet — ministers

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