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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. row — to paddle
  4. net — after costs
  5. can — a tin
  6. deal — to handle
  7. can — a tin
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. rash — hasty
  10. net — in sport
  11. saw — the tool
  12. fork — in a road
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. net — for catching
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. can — to be able to
  20. row — a line
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. rash — a series
  24. saw — the tool

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