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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. pitch — completely
  3. present — a gift
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. ball — a dance
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. bore — to tire
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. ball — a great time
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. deal — to handle
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. present — the time now
  17. fine — high quality
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. present — there
  20. game — a match
  21. bore — to drill
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. game — wild animals
  24. jam — in traffic

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