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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. lean — thin
  3. deal — to handle
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. roll — a list
  6. fork — in a road
  7. mate — a friend
  8. mug — a cup
  9. prune — to trim
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. mate — a partner
  13. bat — the animal
  14. mug — to rob
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. mug — a face
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. mate — to breed
  19. roll — a cake
  20. lean — to bend
  21. prune — to trim
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. fork — to eat with

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