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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. lean — to bend
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. last — final
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. pop — to visit
  9. lean — thin
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. pop — music
  12. deal — to handle
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. last — finally
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. last — to go on
  19. pop — soda
  20. stock — shares
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. stock — goods
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. nail — for a hammer

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