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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: spell · fan · sharp · deal · stock · pitcher · court · swing

  1. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. court — of law
  4. spell — a short time
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. swing — music
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. deal — to handle
  11. spell — magic
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. sharp — clever
  17. court — for sport
  18. swing — in golf
  19. stock — goods
  20. court — of a king
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. stock — shares
  23. swing — to play on
  24. spell — letters

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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