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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 116 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's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. mine — for digging
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. deal — to handle
  5. bulb — for light
  6. key — for a lock
  7. bulb — for light
  8. swing — in golf
  9. cap — a lid
  10. swing — to play on
  11. key — the most important part
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. swing — music
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. cap — a hat
  23. key — in music
  24. cap — of ice

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