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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: racket · squash · stick · trunk · kid · land · degree · deal

  1. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. land — a country
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. land — ground
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. squash — to crush
  10. degree — temperature
  11. degree — an amount
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. land — to come down
  16. degree — from a university
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. kid — child
  20. kid — to tease
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. squash — the sport
  24. deal — to handle

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