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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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. deal — to handle
  3. ground — crushed
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. key — the most important part
  7. hand — help
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. key — for a lock
  12. ground — a position
  13. ground — the earth
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. game — a match
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. hand — in cards
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. key — in music
  22. game — wild animals
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. nail — on a finger

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