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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 124 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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. fall — the season
  4. kid — child
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. shower — to wash
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. game — a match
  11. game — wild animals
  12. net — in sport
  13. fall — to drop
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. net — after costs
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. net — for catching
  19. toast — bread
  20. shower — rain
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. kid — to tease
  23. fall — to drop
  24. toast — the most admired

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