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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. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. mate — a friend
  3. mate — a partner
  4. can — a tin
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. race — humankind
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. season — of the year
  9. mate — to breed
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. can — a tin
  12. deal — to handle
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. row — a line
  15. race — a contest
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. lie — to recline
  18. row — to paddle
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. race — the arms race
  21. season — in sport
  22. can — to be able to
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. lie — an untruth

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