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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. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. game — wild animals
  9. club — for golf
  10. game — a match
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. club — for dancing
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. fork — in a road
  18. deal — to handle
  19. club — a group
  20. date — the fruit
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. sharp — clever
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. fork — to eat with

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