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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. fine — all right
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. wind — moving air
  6. clip — to cut
  7. pop — soda
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. kick — in football
  10. last — final
  11. clip — for paper
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. pop — to visit
  15. pop — music
  16. wind — moving air
  17. fine — high quality
  18. last — finally
  19. clip — a video
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. last — to go on
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. lie — to recline

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