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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 kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. foot — a measure
  5. pop — music
  6. scale — in music
  7. scale — size or range
  8. spring — of water
  9. degree — from a university
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. degree — temperature
  12. bear — the animal
  13. pop — soda
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. bear — the animal
  16. deal — to handle
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. spring — the season
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. degree — an amount
  22. spring — a coil
  23. pop — to visit
  24. bear — to put up with

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