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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. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. date — the fruit
  3. staff — a stick
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. staff — employees
  6. track — a path
  7. current — electric
  8. chip — to eat
  9. object — to protest
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. current — happening now
  12. current — of water
  13. track — a song
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. deal — to handle
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. staff — employees
  19. mine — for digging
  20. object — a thing
  21. track — to keep track
  22. object — an aim
  23. chip — for betting
  24. mine — belonging to me

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