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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 116 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. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. court — for sport
  3. fine — high quality
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. court — of a king
  6. drill — a practice
  7. net — for catching
  8. net — in sport
  9. fine — all right
  10. deal — to handle
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. drill — the tool
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. kid — to tease
  17. pop — music
  18. pop — to visit
  19. kid — child
  20. drill — army training
  21. net — after costs
  22. pop — soda
  23. court — of law
  24. bowl — a football final

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