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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. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. pitch — completely
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. spell — letters
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. bore — to tire
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. mate — to breed
  13. bore — to drill
  14. spell — a short time
  15. game — a match
  16. spell — magic
  17. mate — a partner
  18. mate — a friend
  19. deal — to handle
  20. game — wild animals
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. cabinet — ministers

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