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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. deal — to handle
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. kid — to tease
  10. craft — boats
  11. spell — magic
  12. march — music
  13. spell — letters
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. craft — a skill
  16. kid — child
  17. march — the month
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. spell — a short time
  22. content — the amount
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. content — happy

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