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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. hand — help
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. mark — a grade
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. hand — in cards
  7. club — for golf
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. tube — a container
  10. deal — to handle
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. season — in sport
  15. tube — the underground
  16. mark — a trace
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. season — of the year
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. club — for dancing
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. club — a group
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. bowl — a football final

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