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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. deal — to handle
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. cue — a hint
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. wind — moving air
  10. rest — what's left
  11. cue — a signal
  12. mine — for digging
  13. capital — a city
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. capital — money
  17. wind — moving air
  18. cue — for pool
  19. vault — a safe
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. chair — a leader
  23. rest — what's left
  24. rest — a break

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