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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. object — to protest
  3. mine — for digging
  4. scale — in music
  5. staff — employees
  6. object — a thing
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. scale — size or range
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. staff — a stick
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. shower — to wash
  15. deal — to handle
  16. toast — bread
  17. shower — rain
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. object — an aim
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. staff — employees

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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