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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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. pit — a hole
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. mate — a partner
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. mate — a friend
  8. mate — to breed
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. bound — tied together
  11. kid — child
  12. cold — not warm
  13. lean — to bend
  14. pit — in a race
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. bound — obliged
  18. bound — certain
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. cold — an illness
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. lean — thin
  24. kid — to tease

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