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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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. deal — to handle
  3. pop — to visit
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. rock — music
  7. tear — to rip
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. chair — a leader
  15. snap — to click
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. rock — a stone
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. tear — from crying
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. pop — soda
  22. tear — from crying
  23. pop — music
  24. temple — a place of worship

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