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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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. spring — the season
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. deal — to handle
  5. spring — of water
  6. bear — the animal
  7. net — for catching
  8. degree — an amount
  9. cell — a phone
  10. bear — the animal
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. club — a group
  15. degree — temperature
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. net — after costs
  18. cell — in biology
  19. club — for golf
  20. spring — a coil
  21. net — in sport
  22. degree — from a university
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. club — for dancing

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