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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. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. tear — from crying
  3. wound — an injury
  4. wound — an injury
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. staff — a stick
  8. last — to go on
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. deal — to handle
  12. last — final
  13. tear — to rip
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. tear — from crying
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. last — finally
  21. game — a match
  22. staff — employees
  23. game — wild animals
  24. staff — employees

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