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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. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. foot — a measure
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. craft — boats
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. deal — to handle
  10. perch — the fish
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. scale — size or range
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. scale — in music
  17. spring — the season
  18. sharp — clever
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. spring — of water
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. craft — a skill
  24. spring — a coil

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