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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. degree — temperature
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. rush — hurry
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. track — to keep track
  10. track — a path
  11. tube — the underground
  12. degree — from a university
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. hand — in cards
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. hand — help
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. deal — to handle
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. track — a song
  22. tube — a container
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. degree — an amount

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