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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. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. row — a line
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. row — to paddle
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. perch — the fish
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. season — of the year
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. deal — to handle
  20. vault — a safe
  21. date — the fruit
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. season — in sport
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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