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

Word bank: deal · pitch · pound · bulb · court · jam · chair · tear

  1. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. bulb — for light
  3. tear — from crying
  4. pitch — completely
  5. tear — to rip
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. court — of a king
  13. bulb — for light
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. court — of law
  17. tear — from crying
  18. pound — a weight
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. chair — a leader
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. deal — to handle
  24. court — for sport

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