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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. club — for golf
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. club — a group
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. degree — from a university
  9. bear — the animal
  10. bear — the animal
  11. fork — in a road
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. rule — a law
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. deal — to handle
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. degree — temperature
  18. rule — government
  19. club — for dancing
  20. kick — in football
  21. craft — boats
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. craft — a skill
  24. degree — an amount

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