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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. track — to keep track
  3. kid — to tease
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. rush — hurry
  8. present — the time now
  9. track — a song
  10. track — a path
  11. present — there
  12. band — a music group
  13. ball — a great time
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. deal — to handle
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. ball — a dance
  20. kid — child
  21. band — a ring
  22. present — a gift
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. band — a rubber band

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