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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. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. season — in sport
  4. chest — of your body
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. ball — a great time
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. season — of the year
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. kid — child
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. kid — to tease
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. chest — a box
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. deal — to handle
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. chest — of your body
  24. ball — a dance

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