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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 120 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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. field — farmland
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. tube — the underground
  8. last — finally
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. last — final
  12. last — to go on
  13. deal — to handle
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. field — a subject
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. tube — a container
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. field — for sport
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. ball — a dance
  24. arm — a part of something

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