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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. deal — to handle
  4. kid — to tease
  5. can — a tin
  6. can — a tin
  7. net — in sport
  8. game — a match
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. can — to be able to
  11. court — of a king
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. court — of law
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. rush — hurry
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. court — for sport
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. net — after costs
  22. kid — child
  23. game — wild animals
  24. net — for catching

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