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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 120 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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. snap — to click
  4. deal — to handle
  5. club — for golf
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. file — a line of people
  12. club — a group
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. file — a document
  16. club — for dancing
  17. pop — to visit
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. file — a tool
  23. plane — a tool
  24. pop — music

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