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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 had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. land — a country
  3. deal — to handle
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. cap — a hat
  6. kid — to tease
  7. mark — a grade
  8. wind — moving air
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. snap — to click
  12. land — to come down
  13. cap — of ice
  14. land — ground
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. cap — a lid
  17. mark — a trace
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. wind — moving air

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