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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. spell — magic
  3. pass — a permit
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. season — in sport
  6. bear — the animal
  7. bear — the animal
  8. deal — to handle
  9. track — a song
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. spell — a short time
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. track — to keep track
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. chest — of your body
  19. chest — of your body
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. season — of the year
  22. spell — letters
  23. chest — a box
  24. track — a path

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