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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. key — for a lock
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. current — happening now
  5. rest — a break
  6. wind — moving air
  7. key — in music
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. rest — what's left
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. deal — to handle
  13. current — of water
  14. net — after costs
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. wind — moving air
  18. key — the most important part
  19. current — electric
  20. net — in sport
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. net — for catching
  24. rest — what's left

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