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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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. cap — of ice
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. cap — a hat
  5. tear — from crying
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. snap — to click
  9. firm — steady
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. firm — a company
  14. wound — an injury
  15. firm — decided
  16. tear — from crying
  17. cap — a lid
  18. deal — to handle
  19. rash — hasty
  20. wound — an injury
  21. rash — a series
  22. tear — to rip
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. ruler — a monarch

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