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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 116 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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. hand — in cards
  3. ground — a position
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. deal — to handle
  6. ground — the earth
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. hand — help
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. perch — the fish
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. mine — for digging
  14. ground — crushed
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. calf — of the leg

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