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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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. deal — to handle
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. club — a group
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. rash — hasty
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. club — for golf
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. rash — a series
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. stand — to bear
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. club — for dancing
  22. capital — money
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. capital — a city

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