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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 116 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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. bound — obliged
  3. face — part of the head
  4. hand — in cards
  5. pop — to visit
  6. fork — in a road
  7. land — ground
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. land — to come down
  10. bound — certain
  11. face — to confront
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. season — of the year
  15. deal — to handle
  16. bound — tied together
  17. hand — help
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. land — a country
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. pop — music
  22. season — in sport
  23. face — to point toward
  24. pop — soda

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