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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. kid — child
  3. cue — a hint
  4. wake — a trail
  5. cue — for pool
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. kid — to tease
  9. deal — to handle
  10. lean — to bend
  11. craft — boats
  12. squash — the sport
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. craft — a skill
  15. land — ground
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. land — to come down
  21. squash — to crush
  22. lean — thin
  23. cue — a signal
  24. land — a country

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