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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. game — wild animals
  4. deal — to handle
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. land — a country
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. staff — employees
  10. land — ground
  11. rest — what's left
  12. tube — the underground
  13. staff — a stick
  14. game — a match
  15. fine — all right
  16. rest — what's left
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. tube — a container
  21. fine — high quality
  22. staff — employees
  23. rest — a break
  24. land — to come down

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