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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's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. mine — for digging
  3. date — the fruit
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. net — after costs
  7. file — a tool
  8. deal — to handle
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. file — a line of people
  11. net — in sport
  12. lie — to recline
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. file — a document
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. net — for catching
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. racket — a loud noise

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