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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. track — a song
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. pit — in a race
  7. track — to keep track
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. pit — a hole
  10. shower — rain
  11. fork — in a road
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. kick — in football
  14. shower — to wash
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. content — the amount
  17. content — happy
  18. deal — to handle
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. track — a path
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. deal — an agreement

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