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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. march — the month
  8. present — the time now
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. rock — music
  11. pitch — completely
  12. rock — a stone
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. deal — to handle
  15. march — music
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. wake — a trail
  18. date — the fruit
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. march — the month
  21. present — a gift
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. present — there
  24. pitcher — a jug

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