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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. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. content — the amount
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. land — a country
  6. land — to come down
  7. foot — a measure
  8. deal — to handle
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. land — ground
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. pit — in a race
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. pit — a hole
  15. game — a match
  16. content — happy
  17. pitch — completely
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. game — wild animals
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. deal — an agreement

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