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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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. pit — in a race
  3. present — the time now
  4. fine — all right
  5. present — a gift
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. pit — a hole
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. shower — to wash
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. ground — the earth
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. ground — crushed
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. fine — high quality
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. shower — rain
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. present — there
  24. ground — a position

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