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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 make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. bat — the animal
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. fine — high quality
  6. chest — a box
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. rule — government
  11. shower — to wash
  12. rule — a law
  13. chip — to eat
  14. firm — decided
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. fine — all right
  17. chest — of your body
  18. firm — steady
  19. deal — to handle
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. shower — rain
  22. chest — of your body
  23. chip — for betting
  24. firm — a company

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