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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. drill — a practice
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. mug — to rob
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. swing — in golf
  8. pound — a weight
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. mug — a cup
  11. drill — army training
  12. mug — a face
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. deal — to handle
  19. swing — to play on
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. mine — for digging
  22. drill — the tool
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. swing — music

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