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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. fine — high quality
  3. club — for dancing
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. fine — all right
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. club — a group
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. rash — a series
  12. club — for golf
  13. kid — to tease
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. board — to get on
  18. board — a committee
  19. row — to paddle
  20. prune — to trim
  21. rash — hasty
  22. prune — to trim
  23. row — a line
  24. deal — to handle

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