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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. deal — to handle
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. capital — money
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. shower — rain
  13. capital — a city
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. pass — a permit
  21. rush — hurry
  22. shower — to wash
  23. pitch — completely
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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