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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. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. stock — goods
  9. bulb — for light
  10. tube — a container
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. season — in sport
  14. rush — hurry
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. season — of the year
  17. mine — for digging
  18. bulb — for light
  19. stock — shares
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. deal — to handle
  24. tube — the underground

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