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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 120 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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. track — to keep track
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. mate — a friend
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. mine — for digging
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. track — a path
  10. ground — crushed
  11. track — a song
  12. ground — a position
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. mate — a partner
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. ground — the earth
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. wax — to grow
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. mate — to breed

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