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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. court — for sport
  7. deal — to handle
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. fork — in a road
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. season — in sport
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. court — of a king
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. rush — hurry
  17. prune — to trim
  18. date — the fruit
  19. season — of the year
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. court — of law
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. prune — to trim

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