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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  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. deal — a big deal
  2. pop — music
  3. pop — soda
  4. chest — a box
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. chest — of your body
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. perch — the fish
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. hand — in cards
  13. snap — to click
  14. branch — a division
  15. hand — help
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. pop — to visit
  19. stand — to bear
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. chest — of your body
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. perch — for a bird
  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