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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. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — in geometry
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. cold — an illness
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. deal — to handle
  7. cold — not warm
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. swing — music
  10. can — to be able to
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. swing — in golf
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. scale — in music
  16. plane — a tool
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. swing — to play on
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. can — a tin
  22. scale — size or range
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. can — a tin

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