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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 ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. rest — what's left
  3. tear — to rip
  4. deal — to handle
  5. squash — to crush
  6. squash — the sport
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. press — newspapers
  9. bore — to tire
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. rest — a break
  12. rest — what's left
  13. tear — from crying
  14. pit — in a race
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. press — to push
  17. pit — a hole
  18. saw — the tool
  19. tear — from crying
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. press — a publisher
  22. bore — to drill
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. saw — the tool

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