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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. deal — to handle
  5. net — after costs
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. net — for catching
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. kick — in football
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. date — the fruit
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. net — in sport
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. coach — a trainer

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