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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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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. object — to protest
  4. pop — to visit
  5. charge — electricity
  6. branch — a division
  7. cue — for pool
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. bound — certain
  12. charge — in control
  13. bound — tied together
  14. pop — music
  15. pop — soda
  16. object — an aim
  17. object — a thing
  18. cue — a hint
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. deal — to handle
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. bound — obliged
  23. charge — a price
  24. branch — of a bank

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