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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. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. deal — to handle
  3. field — farmland
  4. field — a subject
  5. capital — a city
  6. capital — money
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. prune — to trim
  9. field — for sport
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. content — the amount
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. content — happy
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. pass — a permit
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. prune — to trim

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