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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 120 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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. pop — soda
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. field — a subject
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. capital — money
  9. object — a thing
  10. field — farmland
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. prune — to trim
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. deal — to handle
  15. field — for sport
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. object — an aim
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. capital — a city
  20. mine — for digging
  21. object — to protest
  22. pop — music
  23. prune — to trim
  24. pop — to visit

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