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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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. suit — in cards
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. rule — a law
  5. field — for sport
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. capital — money
  8. bat — the animal
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. deal — to handle
  13. chip — to eat
  14. field — farmland
  15. capital — a city
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. suit — clothes
  18. suit — to fit
  19. chip — for betting
  20. rule — government
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. field — a subject

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