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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. kid — to tease
  3. vault — a safe
  4. field — a subject
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. deal — to handle
  8. suit — to fit
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. roll — a cake
  12. field — farmland
  13. kid — child
  14. squash — the sport
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. suit — in cards
  18. squash — to crush
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. field — for sport
  21. roll — a list
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. suit — clothes

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