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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. object — an aim
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. mine — for digging
  6. row — a line
  7. kick — in football
  8. rash — hasty
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. ball — a dance
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. row — to paddle
  14. capital — a city
  15. object — to protest
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. object — a thing
  18. capital — money
  19. rash — a series
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. deal — to handle
  22. ball — a great time
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. kick — with a leg

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