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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. When are we going to ________________?
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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. land — to come down
  4. spring — of water
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. mate — a friend
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. land — ground
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. hand — in cards
  14. spring — the season
  15. spring — a coil
  16. hand — help
  17. rock — music
  18. pound — a weight
  19. land — a country
  20. mate — a partner
  21. rock — a stone
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. mate — to breed
  24. pound — to hit hard

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