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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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. spring — the season
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. spring — of water
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. court — of law
  11. wound — an injury
  12. wound — an injury
  13. row — a line
  14. chip — to eat
  15. chip — for betting
  16. spell — a short time
  17. row — to paddle
  18. spell — letters
  19. spell — magic
  20. court — of a king
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. spring — a coil
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. court — for sport

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