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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. net — after costs
  5. deal — to handle
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. bore — to tire
  9. chip — for betting
  10. pop — soda
  11. capital — money
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. net — in sport
  14. capital — a city
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. chip — to eat
  17. net — for catching
  18. pop — to visit
  19. vault — a safe
  20. pop — music
  21. bore — to drill
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. wax — to grow
  24. wax — for sculpting

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