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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. stem — to come from
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. field — a subject
  5. cap — a hat
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. cap — of ice
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. race — humankind
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. field — farmland
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. cap — a lid
  17. field — for sport
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. deal — to handle
  20. race — the arms race
  21. race — a contest
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. pitcher — a jug

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