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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. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. lean — to bend
  3. club — for golf
  4. swing — music
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. lean — thin
  7. march — music
  8. march — the month
  9. swing — in golf
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. march — the month
  15. track — to keep track
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. swing — to play on
  18. club — for dancing
  19. club — a group
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. deal — to handle
  23. track — a path
  24. track — a song

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