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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 would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. rest — a break
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. mate — a friend
  5. track — to keep track
  6. chest — of your body
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. bear — the animal
  10. mate — to breed
  11. rest — what's left
  12. track — a path
  13. rest — what's left
  14. track — a song
  15. lie — to recline
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. chest — a box
  19. pitch — completely
  20. bear — the animal
  21. chest — of your body
  22. deal — to handle
  23. mate — a partner
  24. lie — an untruth

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