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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 dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. kid — to tease
  4. deal — to handle
  5. shower — to wash
  6. chair — a leader
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. track — a song
  10. shower — rain
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. track — a path
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. track — to keep track
  19. mark — a trace
  20. mark — a grade
  21. stem — to come from
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. kid — child

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