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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. court — of a king
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. court — for sport
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. game — wild animals
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. row — a line
  11. current — of water
  12. current — electric
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. mine — for digging
  15. row — to paddle
  16. bulb — for light
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. deal — to handle
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. court — of law
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. game — a match
  23. current — happening now
  24. bulb — for light

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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