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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. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. shower — to wash
  3. deal — to handle
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. tube — the underground
  11. tube — a container
  12. band — a ring
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. band — a music group
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. cue — a signal
  17. cold — not warm
  18. shower — rain
  19. cue — for pool
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. cue — a hint
  23. cold — an illness
  24. deal — an agreement

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