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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. chest — of your body
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. key — for a lock
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. key — the most important part
  9. craft — boats
  10. mark — a trace
  11. date — the fruit
  12. key — in music
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. perch — the fish
  15. chest — a box
  16. chest — of your body
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. deal — to handle
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. craft — a skill
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. mark — a grade

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