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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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. bass — low music
  3. hand — in cards
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. can — to be able to
  6. fall — to drop
  7. cold — not warm
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. lie — to recline
  12. can — a tin
  13. hand — help
  14. cold — an illness
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. fall — to drop
  18. bass — the fish
  19. can — a tin
  20. fall — the season
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. deal — an agreement

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