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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. can — a tin
  3. can — a tin
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. can — to be able to
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. rash — hasty
  10. cold — not warm
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. toast — bread
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. deal — to handle
  17. pit — in a race
  18. pit — a hole
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. rash — a series
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. cold — an illness

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