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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. scale — size or range
  3. drill — the tool
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. drill — army training
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. deal — to handle
  8. scale — in music
  9. mine — for digging
  10. drill — a practice
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. court — of a king
  13. mark — a trace
  14. mark — a grade
  15. face — to confront
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. season — of the year
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. court — of law
  20. face — to point toward
  21. season — in sport
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. court — for sport
  24. face — part of the head

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