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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. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. club — for golf
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. club — a group
  8. deal — to handle
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. wind — moving air
  14. scale — in music
  15. bulb — for light
  16. game — wild animals
  17. season — of the year
  18. wind — moving air
  19. season — in sport
  20. scale — size or range
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. club — for dancing
  23. game — a match
  24. bulb — for light

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