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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. key — the most important part
  3. lean — thin
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. season — in sport
  6. lean — to bend
  7. saw — the tool
  8. deal — to handle
  9. current — of water
  10. spring — of water
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. current — electric
  13. key — for a lock
  14. bore — to drill
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. key — in music
  17. spring — the season
  18. spring — a coil
  19. saw — the tool
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. current — happening now
  22. bore — to tire
  23. season — of the year
  24. deal — an agreement

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