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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 120 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. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. suit — to fit
  3. game — a match
  4. game — wild animals
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. deal — to handle
  7. fall — the season
  8. pound — a weight
  9. fall — to drop
  10. key — for a lock
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. key — the most important part
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. saw — the tool
  16. suit — in cards
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. suit — clothes
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. band — a music group
  21. fall — to drop
  22. key — in music
  23. saw — the tool
  24. band — a ring

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