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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 120 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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. clip — for paper
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. cue — a signal
  5. key — in music
  6. rash — hasty
  7. cue — for pool
  8. rash — a series
  9. clip — to cut
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. kid — child
  12. face — part of the head
  13. face — to confront
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. cue — a hint
  16. face — to point toward
  17. key — for a lock
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. clip — a video
  20. shower — to wash
  21. key — the most important part
  22. kid — to tease
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. shower — rain

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