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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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. scale — in music
  4. field — for sport
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. deal — to handle
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. field — farmland
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. kid — child
  16. field — a subject
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. kid — to tease
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. scale — size or range
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. calf — of the leg

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