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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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. fall — to drop
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. fall — to drop
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. cell — a phone
  11. scale — size or range
  12. mark — a grade
  13. cue — a signal
  14. mark — a trace
  15. fall — the season
  16. scale — in music
  17. cue — a hint
  18. hand — in cards
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. chair — a leader
  21. cue — for pool
  22. hand — help
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. cell — in biology

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