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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. prune — to trim
  7. prune — to trim
  8. rash — hasty
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. deal — to handle
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. fine — all right
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. rash — a series
  24. arm — a part of something

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