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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. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. foot — a measure
  3. charge — a price
  4. chest — of your body
  5. firm — decided
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. clip — a video
  8. clip — to cut
  9. clip — for paper
  10. bore — to tire
  11. bore — to drill
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. charge — in control
  14. chest — a box
  15. charge — electricity
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. firm — a company
  18. deal — to handle
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. firm — steady
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. ball — a dance
  23. ball — a great time
  24. chest — of your body

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