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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 got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. prune — to trim
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. hand — help
  5. club — for golf
  6. club — a group
  7. prune — to trim
  8. rock — music
  9. chest — a box
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. chest — of your body
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. deal — to handle
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. rule — a law
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. chest — of your body
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. club — for dancing
  23. rock — a stone
  24. rule — government

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