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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 116 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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. bat — the animal
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. shower — rain
  7. cold — not warm
  8. pound — a weight
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. chip — to eat
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. cold — an illness
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. plane — a tool
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. deal — to handle
  21. shower — to wash
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. chip — for betting
  24. plane — an aircraft

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