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

  1. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. season — of the year
  3. season — in sport
  4. bear — the animal
  5. mate — to breed
  6. mate — a partner
  7. hand — in cards
  8. deal — to handle
  9. mate — a friend
  10. spring — a coil
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. hand — help
  13. bear — the animal
  14. spring — of water
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. spring — the season
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. hand — part of the body

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