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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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  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 — to handle
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. bulb — for light
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. scale — size or range
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. file — a tool
  12. file — a document
  13. file — a line of people
  14. scale — in music
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. bulb — for light
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. wound — an injury
  22. chair — a leader
  23. wound — an injury
  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