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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. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. deal — to handle
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. cold — not warm
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. mine — for digging
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. bear — the animal
  9. tube — the underground
  10. bear — the animal
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. snap — to click
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. cold — an illness
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. sharp — clever
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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