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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. mine — for digging
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. pitch — completely
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. object — a thing
  10. rock — a stone
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. object — an aim
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. fork — in a road
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. deal — to handle
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. rock — music
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. pitcher — a jug

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