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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 124 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. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. court — for sport
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. wind — moving air
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. root — of a plant
  9. court — of a king
  10. root — of a word
  11. race — the arms race
  12. deal — to handle
  13. bass — the fish
  14. chair — a leader
  15. race — a contest
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. pass — a permit
  18. wind — moving air
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. race — humankind
  21. court — of law
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. bass — low music
  24. root — the cause

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