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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. rest — what's left
  5. face — part of the head
  6. deal — to handle
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. face — to confront
  12. rest — a break
  13. kid — child
  14. kick — in football
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. tear — to rip
  17. kid — to tease
  18. tear — from crying
  19. tear — from crying
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. mug — a cup
  22. rest — what's left
  23. face — to point toward
  24. mug — to rob

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