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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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. pound — a weight
  3. march — the month
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. game — a match
  6. tube — the underground
  7. tube — a container
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. march — the month
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. game — wild animals
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. march — music
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. scale — in music
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. scale — size or range
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. racket — for tennis

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