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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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. bat — the animal
  3. club — a group
  4. mug — a face
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. mug — a cup
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. rest — what's left
  14. wax — to grow
  15. rest — a break
  16. club — for dancing
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. rest — what's left
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. deal — to handle
  22. club — for golf
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. mug — to rob

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