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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 120 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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. hand — in cards
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. cue — for pool
  6. bear — the animal
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. cue — a hint
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. degree — an amount
  11. hand — help
  12. degree — temperature
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. bear — the animal
  16. cue — a signal
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. deal — to handle
  19. wound — an injury
  20. wound — an injury
  21. wind — moving air
  22. degree — from a university
  23. wind — moving air
  24. bear — to put up with

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