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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. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. rush — hurry
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. date — the fruit
  9. deal — to handle
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. kick — in football
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. toast — bread
  17. prune — to trim
  18. prune — to trim
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. rush — to hurry

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