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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. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. fine — all right
  9. rash — a series
  10. kid — child
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. fine — high quality
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. deal — to handle
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. rash — hasty
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. kid — to tease
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. date — the fruit

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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