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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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. net — in sport
  4. mate — a partner
  5. deal — to handle
  6. net — for catching
  7. mate — a friend
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. net — after costs
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. mate — to breed
  13. track — to keep track
  14. ball — a dance
  15. track — a path
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. ball — a great time
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. track — a song
  20. hand — in cards
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. hand — help

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