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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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. bound — certain
  4. game — a match
  5. game — wild animals
  6. club — a group
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. bulb — for light
  9. toast — bread
  10. bulb — for light
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. bound — obliged
  14. kid — child
  15. row — a line
  16. club — for dancing
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. club — for golf
  20. deal — to handle
  21. row — to paddle
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. bound — tied together
  24. kid — to tease

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