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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. cold — an illness
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. deal — to handle
  8. can — a tin
  9. rock — music
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. rash — hasty
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. rock — a stone
  16. can — to be able to
  17. cold — not warm
  18. rash — a series
  19. band — a music group
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. band — a ring
  22. mine — for digging
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. rock — to move gently

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