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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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. club — for golf
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. content — happy
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. content — the amount
  8. object — a thing
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. field — a subject
  14. club — a group
  15. stand — to bear
  16. field — farmland
  17. field — for sport
  18. object — an aim
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. club — for dancing
  22. object — to protest
  23. kid — child
  24. kid — to tease

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