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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. kid — to tease
  6. fall — to drop
  7. bound — obliged
  8. net — for catching
  9. face — to point toward
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. deal — to handle
  12. fall — the season
  13. net — after costs
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. face — part of the head
  16. fall — to drop
  17. kid — child
  18. bound — certain
  19. net — in sport
  20. capital — a city
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. bound — tied together
  23. capital — money
  24. face — to confront

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