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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. track — a song
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. scale — size or range
  7. deal — to handle
  8. bat — the animal
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. track — to keep track
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. scale — in music
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. spell — a short time
  19. wax — to grow
  20. spell — magic
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. track — a path
  24. spell — letters

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