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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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. scale — size or range
  6. capital — money
  7. deal — to handle
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. mate — to breed
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. roll — a cake
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. mate — a partner
  15. scale — in music
  16. roll — a list
  17. press — newspapers
  18. press — to push
  19. press — a publisher
  20. date — the fruit
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. capital — a city
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. mate — a friend

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