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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 120 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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. ball — a dance
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. hand — help
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. bear — the animal
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. bear — the animal
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. hand — in cards
  16. deal — to handle
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. fine — high quality
  20. ball — a great time
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. cell — in biology
  24. cell — a phone

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