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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 ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. season — in sport
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. face — to point toward
  6. saw — the tool
  7. bulb — for light
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. face — to confront
  10. stock — shares
  11. deal — to handle
  12. kid — child
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. bulb — for light
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. face — part of the head
  18. pass — a permit
  19. saw — the tool
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. season — of the year
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. stock — goods
  24. bulb — of a plant

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