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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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. rush — hurry
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. date — the fruit
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. stem — to come from
  11. land — to come down
  12. chest — of your body
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. toast — bread
  17. chest — of your body
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. chest — a box
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. land — a country
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. land — ground

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