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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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. band — a ring
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. fine — all right
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. band — a music group
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. fine — high quality
  11. ball — a great time
  12. land — a country
  13. land — ground
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. land — to come down
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. ball — a dance
  19. ground — the earth
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. ground — crushed
  23. ground — a position
  24. deal — to handle

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