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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 120 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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. deal — to handle
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. land — a country
  6. wake — a trail
  7. rock — a stone
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. pound — a weight
  10. land — to come down
  11. degree — temperature
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. saw — the tool
  17. rock — music
  18. degree — an amount
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. land — ground
  22. saw — the tool
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. degree — from a university

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