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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. bear — the animal
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. date — the fruit
  6. mine — for digging
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. scale — size or range
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. deal — to handle
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. bear — the animal
  20. pound — a weight
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. scale — in music
  24. temple — a place of worship

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