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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 120 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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. board — to get on
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. spring — of water
  6. hand — help
  7. field — for sport
  8. field — a subject
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. key — for a lock
  12. spring — the season
  13. kick — in football
  14. hand — in cards
  15. key — the most important part
  16. saw — the tool
  17. field — farmland
  18. spring — a coil
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. board — a committee
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. key — in music
  23. saw — the tool
  24. deal — a big deal

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