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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 116 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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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. cold — an illness
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. mark — a trace
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. cold — not warm
  13. ground — a position
  14. sharp — clever
  15. ground — crushed
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. season — in sport
  18. ground — the earth
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. season — of the year
  22. kick — in football
  23. mark — a grade
  24. deal — to handle

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