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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. perch — the fish
  3. spell — magic
  4. fall — to drop
  5. spell — letters
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. pop — music
  8. land — to come down
  9. pop — to visit
  10. spell — a short time
  11. land — a country
  12. fall — to drop
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. deal — to handle
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. pop — soda
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. land — ground
  23. fall — the season
  24. pitch — completely

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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