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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. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. scale — in music
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. scale — size or range
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. net — after costs
  8. club — a group
  9. game — a match
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. net — for catching
  12. sharp — clever
  13. net — in sport
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. deal — to handle
  16. rush — hurry
  17. club — for golf
  18. wound — an injury
  19. game — wild animals
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. wound — an injury
  24. club — for dancing

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