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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  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. rock — music
  2. fine — all right
  3. deal — to handle
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. rock — a stone
  11. tube — the underground
  12. game — wild animals
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. squash — to crush
  15. tube — a container
  16. game — a match
  17. fine — high quality
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. prune — to trim
  22. squash — the sport
  23. prune — to trim
  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