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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. mug — to rob
  4. mug — a cup
  5. mug — a face
  6. spring — a coil
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. wound — an injury
  12. deal — to handle
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. land — to come down
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. spring — the season
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. land — a country
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. land — ground
  22. wound — an injury
  23. spring — of water
  24. nail — for a hammer

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