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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. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. cap — a hat
  5. fine — all right
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. deal — to handle
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. wound — an injury
  11. cold — not warm
  12. wound — an injury
  13. rash — hasty
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. cold — an illness
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. rash — a series
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. cap — of ice
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. cap — a lid
  23. fine — high quality
  24. rash — on the skin

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