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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  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. squash — the sport
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. band — a ring
  4. bore — to tire
  5. court — for sport
  6. squash — to crush
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. court — of a king
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. deal — to handle
  12. kid — child
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. band — a music group
  15. court — of law
  16. bore — to drill
  17. kid — to tease
  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