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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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. bulb — for light
  6. chest — of your body
  7. current — happening now
  8. club — for dancing
  9. current — electric
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. chest — of your body
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. current — of water
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. chest — a box
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. bulb — for light
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. club — for golf
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. club — a group

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