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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 · firm · cold · wind · mate · fine · bear · snap

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. mate — a partner
  4. cold — an illness
  5. fine — high quality
  6. firm — steady
  7. wind — moving air
  8. deal — to handle
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. bear — the animal
  12. firm — a company
  13. firm — decided
  14. wind — moving air
  15. snap — to click
  16. mate — to breed
  17. cold — not warm
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. bear — the animal
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. mate — a friend
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. fine — all right

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