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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. pop — to visit
  6. pop — soda
  7. shower — rain
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. field — for sport
  11. saw — the tool
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. saw — the tool
  14. field — a subject
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. pop — music
  17. deal — to handle
  18. field — farmland
  19. bulb — for light
  20. bulb — for light
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. lie — to recline
  23. shower — to wash
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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