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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. rush — hurry
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. swing — to play on
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. kid — child
  9. deal — to handle
  10. ball — a great time
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. swing — in golf
  13. last — to go on
  14. lean — to bend
  15. ball — a dance
  16. root — the cause
  17. swing — music
  18. last — finally
  19. root — of a plant
  20. lean — thin
  21. kid — to tease
  22. root — of a word
  23. last — final
  24. ball — a round shape

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