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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. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. ground — the earth
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. ground — crushed
  7. current — electric
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. scale — size or range
  10. file — a tool
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. scale — in music
  13. file — a line of people
  14. file — a document
  15. face — to point toward
  16. current — of water
  17. face — part of the head
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. ground — a position
  20. current — happening now
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. face — to confront
  24. deal — to handle

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