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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. season — in sport
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. deal — to handle
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. season — of the year
  9. field — for sport
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. vault — a safe
  12. field — farmland
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. pound — a weight
  15. band — a music group
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. chair — a leader
  20. band — a ring
  21. field — a subject
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. racket — a loud noise

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