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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. fork — in a road
  5. wind — moving air
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. kick — in football
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. deal — to handle
  11. stock — goods
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. wind — moving air
  14. stock — shares
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. face — part of the head
  18. vault — a safe
  19. face — to point toward
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. wax — to grow
  22. face — to confront
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. fork — to eat with

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