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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. face — part of the head
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. stand — to bear
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. game — wild animals
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. band — a music group
  11. band — a ring
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. face — to confront
  16. tear — from crying
  17. face — to point toward
  18. tear — from crying
  19. last — final
  20. last — to go on
  21. tear — to rip
  22. deal — to handle
  23. last — finally
  24. game — a match

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