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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. band — a music group
  4. degree — from a university
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. band — a ring
  7. mug — a cup
  8. degree — an amount
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. track — to keep track
  11. track — a path
  12. mug — to rob
  13. mine — for digging
  14. degree — temperature
  15. hand — in cards
  16. deal — to handle
  17. mug — a face
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. track — a song
  23. hand — help
  24. mine — belonging to me

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