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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. deal — to handle
  4. row — to paddle
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. chest — of your body
  7. squash — the sport
  8. season — in sport
  9. season — of the year
  10. chest — of your body
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. rash — a series
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. march — music
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. march — the month
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. march — the month
  21. chest — a box
  22. rash — hasty
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. squash — to crush

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