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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. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. pitch — completely
  4. track — a path
  5. file — a document
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. deal — to handle
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. track — a song
  12. last — to go on
  13. bear — the animal
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. bulb — for light
  16. track — to keep track
  17. last — finally
  18. file — a tool
  19. last — final
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. file — a line of people
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. bear — the animal

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