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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. pitch — completely
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. pop — soda
  6. spring — the season
  7. pop — music
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. fall — the season
  11. pop — to visit
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. spring — of water
  14. deal — to handle
  15. cell — in biology
  16. vault — a safe
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. spring — a coil
  19. fall — to drop
  20. saw — the tool
  21. fall — to drop
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. cell — a phone
  24. saw — the tool

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