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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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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. pass — a permit
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. spring — of water
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. dip — to sink
  10. land — ground
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. spring — a coil
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. land — a country
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. spring — the season
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. land — to come down
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. deal — to handle
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. fork — in a road

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