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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. march — the month
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. chip — for betting
  11. chip — to eat
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. march — music
  15. deal — to handle
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. march — the month
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. bowl — to roll

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