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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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. stock — shares
  9. net — in sport
  10. wax — to grow
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. stock — goods
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. net — for catching
  17. net — after costs
  18. wax — in the ear

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