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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. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. chip — to eat
  3. prune — to trim
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. deal — to handle
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. cap — of ice
  9. swing — music
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. cap — a lid
  12. present — the time now
  13. present — a gift
  14. swing — to play on
  15. prune — to trim
  16. present — there
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. saw — the tool
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. cap — a hat
  21. swing — in golf
  22. saw — the tool
  23. sharp — clever
  24. chip — for betting

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