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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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. mark — a trace
  3. kid — to tease
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. kid — child
  7. bulb — for light
  8. mark — a grade
  9. land — ground
  10. land — a country
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. tube — the underground
  13. deal — to handle
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. bulb — for light
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. land — to come down
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. tube — a container
  24. bat — the animal

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