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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. bass — low music
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. fine — high quality
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. bass — the fish
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. deal — to handle
  14. prune — to trim
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. prune — to trim
  19. wound — an injury
  20. wound — an injury
  21. fine — all right
  22. tube — the underground
  23. tube — a container
  24. prune — the fruit

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