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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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. rock — music
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. bulb — for light
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. cold — an illness
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. rush — hurry
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. mark — a trace
  18. mark — a grade
  19. deal — to handle
  20. cold — not warm
  21. bulb — for light
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. straw — dry grass

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