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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. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. band — a music group
  3. deal — to handle
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. bound — obliged
  8. pitch — completely
  9. bound — certain
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. game — wild animals
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. bear — the animal
  16. band — a ring
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. bear — the animal
  19. kid — child
  20. bound — tied together
  21. game — a match
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. kid — to tease
  24. bear — to put up with

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