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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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. tube — the underground
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. pop — to visit
  5. craft — boats
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. pop — music
  8. spring — the season
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. craft — a skill
  11. pit — a hole
  12. rash — a series
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. pop — soda
  15. spring — a coil
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. wound — an injury
  19. rash — hasty
  20. spring — of water
  21. pit — in a race
  22. tube — a container
  23. wound — an injury
  24. deal — a big deal

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