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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. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. 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. scale — for weighing
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. scale — in music
  5. band — a ring
  6. can — a tin
  7. rash — hasty
  8. scale — size or range
  9. rash — a series
  10. court — of law
  11. band — a music group
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. deal — to handle
  14. court — of a king
  15. can — a tin
  16. can — to be able to
  17. court — for sport
  18. 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