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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. mate — a partner
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. deal — to handle
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. key — for a lock
  7. drill — army training
  8. drill — a practice
  9. bore — to drill
  10. bore — to tire
  11. bear — the animal
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. key — in music
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. bear — the animal
  17. mate — a friend
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. drill — the tool
  21. cold — not warm
  22. key — the most important part
  23. cold — an illness
  24. mate — to breed

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