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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: staff · stick · ground · race · deal · rule

  1. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. staff — employees
  3. ground — crushed
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. race — the arms race
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. race — a contest
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. race — humankind
  11. staff — a stick
  12. staff — employees
  13. rule — a law
  14. ground — a position
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. rule — government
  18. ground — the earth

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