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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. fine — high quality
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. deal — to handle
  6. tube — the underground
  7. wind — moving air
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. cell — a phone
  10. cell — in biology
  11. fine — all right
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. swing — music
  16. swing — in golf
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. wind — moving air
  20. tube — a container
  21. swing — to play on
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. tube — in a tire

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