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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. last — final
  3. hand — in cards
  4. hand — help
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. mine — for digging
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. craft — a skill
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. last — finally
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. field — farmland
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. deal — to handle
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. field — a subject
  22. last — to go on
  23. craft — boats
  24. field — for sport

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