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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. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. land — ground
  4. sharp — clever
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. scale — in music
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. present — the time now
  10. field — a subject
  11. present — a gift
  12. season — of the year
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. deal — to handle
  15. scale — size or range
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. field — farmland
  19. season — in sport
  20. present — there
  21. land — a country
  22. stand — to bear
  23. land — to come down
  24. field — for sport

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