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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. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. court — for sport
  3. fork — in a road
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. court — of law
  6. deal — to handle
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. bear — the animal
  9. pit — in a race
  10. bound — obliged
  11. bear — the animal
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. cell — in biology
  15. bound — tied together
  16. cell — a phone
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. court — of a king
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. kick — in football
  21. bound — certain
  22. pit — a hole
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. deal — an agreement

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