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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. can — a tin
  3. object — an aim
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. deal — to handle
  7. object — to protest
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. chair — a leader
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. can — a tin
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. current — electric
  14. bat — the animal
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. can — to be able to
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. hand — help
  20. object — a thing
  21. current — of water
  22. hand — in cards
  23. current — happening now
  24. bat — for baseball

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