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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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. file — a tool
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. deal — to handle
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. dip — to sink
  10. drill — a practice
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. rock — music
  13. file — a line of people
  14. scale — size or range
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. scale — in music
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. file — a document
  20. drill — army training
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. drill — the tool
  24. rock — a stone

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