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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. fall — to drop
  3. deal — to handle
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. last — final
  10. fall — the season
  11. pitch — completely
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. last — to go on
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. kick — in football
  22. fall — to drop
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. last — finally

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