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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. deal — to handle
  4. capital — money
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. tube — a container
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. fall — to drop
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. mine — for digging
  12. fall — to drop
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. pass — a permit
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. pound — a weight
  21. capital — a city
  22. tube — the underground
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. pound — to hit hard

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