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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. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. ground — a position
  5. ground — the earth
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. stand — to bear
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. fork — in a road
  14. ground — crushed
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. rock — music
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. deal — to handle
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. rock — a stone

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