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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. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. sharp — clever
  3. bulb — for light
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. tube — the underground
  9. swing — to play on
  10. bulb — for light
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. tube — a container
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. band — a music group
  19. swing — in golf
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. swing — music
  22. deal — to handle
  23. dip — to sink
  24. band — a ring

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