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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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. deal — to handle
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. track — a path
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. shower — to wash
  8. track — a song
  9. fall — to drop
  10. ground — the earth
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. toast — bread
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. track — to keep track
  15. ground — a position
  16. shower — rain
  17. foot — a measure
  18. fall — to drop
  19. game — a match
  20. fall — the season
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. game — wild animals
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. ground — crushed

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