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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. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. chest — of your body
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. key — for a lock
  5. mate — to breed
  6. key — the most important part
  7. deal — to handle
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. wound — an injury
  10. chest — of your body
  11. charge — in control
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. charge — electricity
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. chest — a box
  16. bulb — for light
  17. mate — a friend
  18. mate — a partner
  19. charge — a price
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. wound — an injury
  22. key — in music
  23. bulb — for light
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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