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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. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. rest — what's left
  5. season — in sport
  6. file — a tool
  7. land — ground
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. land — to come down
  10. deal — to handle
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. file — a line of people
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. rest — what's left
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. rest — a break
  18. season — of the year
  19. file — a document
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. land — a country

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