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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 120 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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. track — a path
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. stand — to bear
  6. stem — to come from
  7. mark — a trace
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. mark — a grade
  13. snap — to click
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. file — a line of people
  16. track — to keep track
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. file — a tool
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. file — a document
  21. deal — to handle
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. track — a song

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