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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. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. clip — for paper
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. bear — the animal
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. mark — a trace
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. clip — to cut
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. track — a path
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. clip — a video
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. bulb — for light
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. bear — the animal
  19. track — a song
  20. deal — to handle
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. bulb — for light
  23. track — to keep track
  24. mark — a grade

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