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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. can — a tin
  3. tube — a container
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. can — to be able to
  7. bore — to drill
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. court — of law
  10. can — a tin
  11. court — of a king
  12. court — for sport
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. game — a match
  15. deal — to handle
  16. bore — to tire
  17. board — a committee
  18. board — to get on
  19. tube — the underground
  20. game — wild animals
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. dip — to sink

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