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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 116 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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. spring — the season
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. court — of law
  9. spring — a coil
  10. band — a ring
  11. pop — soda
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. pop — to visit
  14. lie — to recline
  15. court — for sport
  16. band — a music group
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. court — of a king
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. deal — to handle
  21. pop — music
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. spring — of water
  24. pitcher — a jug

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