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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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Word bank
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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: deal · cabinet · racket · spring · mate · cap · board · land

  1. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. land — ground
  5. board — to get on
  6. mate — a friend
  7. mate — to breed
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. cap — a lid
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. deal — to handle
  12. spring — the season
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. land — to come down
  17. cap — of ice
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. board — a committee
  20. land — a country
  21. spring — of water
  22. mate — a partner
  23. spring — a coil
  24. cap — a hat

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