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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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  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 — a big deal
  2. cue — a signal
  3. file — a line of people
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. rest — what's left
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. present — a gift
  9. file — a tool
  10. cue — a hint
  11. rest — what's left
  12. present — the time now
  13. kick — in football
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. stem — to come from
  17. cue — for pool
  18. file — a document
  19. deal — to handle
  20. rest — a break
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. present — there
  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