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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  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. net — after costs
  3. deal — to handle
  4. court — of law
  5. net — in sport
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. land — a country
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. pop — music
  11. court — of a king
  12. rash — hasty
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. object — an aim
  16. object — to protest
  17. court — for sport
  18. pop — soda
  19. land — to come down
  20. pop — to visit
  21. land — ground
  22. net — for catching
  23. object — a thing
  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