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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. track — a path
  6. wound — an injury
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. bulb — for light
  9. track — a song
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. rest — what's left
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. rest — what's left
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. rest — a break
  20. wound — an injury
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. track — to keep track
  23. bulb — for light
  24. deal — to handle

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