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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. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. deal — to handle
  5. prune — to trim
  6. pass — a permit
  7. net — for catching
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. wind — moving air
  10. wind — moving air
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. bass — low music
  16. row — to paddle
  17. net — after costs
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. prune — to trim
  21. bass — the fish
  22. net — in sport
  23. row — a line
  24. pass — to spend time

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