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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. deal — to handle
  6. firm — decided
  7. field — a subject
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. field — farmland
  10. firm — steady
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. field — for sport
  14. firm — a company
  15. wake — a trail
  16. swing — music
  17. swing — in golf
  18. tube — the underground
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. tube — a container
  24. deal — an agreement

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