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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. kid — to tease
  3. season — of the year
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. pitch — completely
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. rash — hasty
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. craft — a skill
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. ball — a great time
  13. season — in sport
  14. stem — to come from
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. kid — child
  19. deal — to handle
  20. craft — boats
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. ball — a dance
  24. rash — a series

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