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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. game — a match
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. rush — hurry
  8. spell — letters
  9. chair — a leader
  10. spell — magic
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. deal — to handle
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. spell — a short time
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. kick — in football
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. plane — a tool
  22. game — wild animals
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. plane — in geometry

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