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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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. mine — for digging
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. rule — a law
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. bat — the animal
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. rule — government
  11. key — the most important part
  12. wound — an injury
  13. key — for a lock
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. key — in music
  17. ball — a great time
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. ball — a dance
  23. wound — an injury
  24. hide — to keep secret

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