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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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. tube — the underground
  3. tube — a container
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. fine — all right
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. pitch — completely
  9. fine — high quality
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. wake — a trail
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. pound — a weight
  18. rash — hasty
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. rash — a series

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