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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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: stick · season · hide · cold · fan · deal · pop · scale

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. scale — size or range
  4. cold — not warm
  5. pop — music
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. deal — to handle
  8. season — of the year
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. pop — to visit
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. cold — an illness
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. scale — in music
  20. season — in sport
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. pop — soda
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. season — to add flavour

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