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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 116 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. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. cue — for pool
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. tube — the underground
  7. tube — a container
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. cue — a hint
  10. bass — the fish
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. bass — low music
  13. club — for golf
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. cue — a signal
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. club — a group
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. deal — to handle
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. club — for dancing

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