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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 elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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. scale — in music
  4. wind — moving air
  5. scale — size or range
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. staff — employees
  10. chest — of your body
  11. chest — a box
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. staff — a stick
  14. staff — employees
  15. field — a subject
  16. field — for sport
  17. deal — to handle
  18. wind — moving air
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. chest — of your body
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. field — farmland

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