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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. game — a match
  5. mark — a grade
  6. mark — a trace
  7. tube — a container
  8. tube — the underground
  9. spell — letters
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. spell — magic
  16. spell — a short time
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. deal — to handle
  19. ball — a great time
  20. game — wild animals
  21. pitch — completely
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. ball — a dance

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