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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. deal — to handle
  3. tube — the underground
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. mug — to rob
  7. mug — a cup
  8. craft — boats
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. field — farmland
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. drill — the tool
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. mug — a face
  16. field — a subject
  17. drill — army training
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. field — for sport
  20. rock — a stone
  21. rock — music
  22. craft — a skill
  23. tube — a container
  24. drill — a practice

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