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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. bound — obliged
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. craft — a skill
  6. bound — tied together
  7. club — for dancing
  8. club — for golf
  9. pop — to visit
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. pop — music
  12. craft — boats
  13. pop — soda
  14. deal — to handle
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. chest — a box
  18. bound — certain
  19. chest — of your body
  20. chest — of your body
  21. club — a group
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. lash — to lash out

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