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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. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. shower — to wash
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. ground — a position
  7. deal — to handle
  8. spring — of water
  9. cap — of ice
  10. spring — the season
  11. board — to get on
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. fine — all right
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. ground — the earth
  16. cap — a hat
  17. spring — a coil
  18. fine — high quality
  19. ground — crushed
  20. board — a committee
  21. mine — for digging
  22. shower — rain
  23. cap — a lid
  24. mine — an explosive

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