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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. land — to come down
  6. land — ground
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. ball — a great time
  9. ball — a dance
  10. deal — to handle
  11. track — a path
  12. track — a song
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. suit — to fit
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. land — a country
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. band — a ring
  20. suit — in cards
  21. track — to keep track
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. band — a music group
  24. suit — clothes

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