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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. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. season — of the year
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. bat — the animal
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. season — in sport
  9. clip — for paper
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. wake — a trail
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. deal — to handle
  14. clip — a video
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. clip — to cut
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. deal — an agreement

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