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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: deal · game · charge · fall · cold · cabinet · temple · swing

  1. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. swing — music
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. charge — electricity
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. game — wild animals
  8. cold — not warm
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. cold — an illness
  11. fall — the season
  12. swing — in golf
  13. charge — a price
  14. fall — to drop
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. game — a match
  18. swing — to play on
  19. fall — to drop
  20. deal — to handle
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. charge — in control
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. temple — side of the head

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