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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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. degree — an amount
  4. club — for dancing
  5. pit — in a race
  6. pit — a hole
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. degree — temperature
  9. club — for golf
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. club — a group
  14. degree — from a university
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. fork — in a road
  18. fork — to eat with

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