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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. tube — a container
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. tube — the underground
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. ball — a dance
  12. ball — a great time
  13. deal — to handle
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. prune — to trim
  16. game — a match
  17. tear — to rip
  18. prune — to trim
  19. game — wild animals
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. tear — from crying
  24. mouse — for a computer

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