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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. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. fork — in a road
  3. track — to keep track
  4. land — ground
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. file — a document
  8. mate — a partner
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. land — a country
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. mate — a friend
  13. file — a line of people
  14. track — a path
  15. land — to come down
  16. cue — a hint
  17. cue — a signal
  18. mate — to breed
  19. deal — to handle
  20. file — a tool
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. cue — for pool
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. track — a song

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