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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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. deal — to handle
  3. chest — of your body
  4. fork — in a road
  5. chest — of your body
  6. swing — music
  7. object — a thing
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. bulb — for light
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. swing — to play on
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. hand — help
  15. object — an aim
  16. swing — in golf
  17. chest — a box
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. bulb — for light
  23. object — to protest
  24. hand — in cards

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