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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. deal — to handle
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. kid — to tease
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. foot — a measure
  13. mine — for digging
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. kid — child
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. leaves — to go away

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