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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. mark — a grade
  4. land — to come down
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. land — ground
  7. mark — a trace
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. deal — to handle
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. land — a country
  12. toast — bread
  13. plane — a tool
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. bark — to shout
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. capital — money
  23. capital — a city
  24. toast — the most admired

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