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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 116 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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. prune — to trim
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. last — to go on
  5. last — final
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. fork — in a road
  11. file — a line of people
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. file — a tool
  14. last — finally
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. prune — to trim
  20. pound — a weight
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. file — a document
  24. deal — to handle

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