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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. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. bear — the animal
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. cue — a signal
  6. field — farmland
  7. stock — shares
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. stock — goods
  11. cue — for pool
  12. field — a subject
  13. bear — the animal
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. deal — to handle
  16. net — for catching
  17. squash — to crush
  18. net — after costs
  19. plane — a tool
  20. cue — a hint
  21. squash — the sport
  22. net — in sport
  23. field — for sport
  24. deal — an agreement

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