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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 116 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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. content — the amount
  4. club — for dancing
  5. pop — music
  6. content — happy
  7. club — a group
  8. cue — a signal
  9. scale — in music
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. club — for golf
  12. net — in sport
  13. march — music
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. scale — size or range
  16. net — for catching
  17. pop — soda
  18. march — the month
  19. cue — for pool
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. cue — a hint
  22. net — after costs
  23. pop — to visit
  24. march — the month

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