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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. deal — to handle
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. scale — in music
  8. track — to keep track
  9. mine — for digging
  10. spring — the season
  11. mug — a face
  12. mug — a cup
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. mug — to rob
  15. scale — size or range
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. track — a song
  18. pitch — completely
  19. snap — to click
  20. spring — of water
  21. spring — a coil
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. track — a path

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