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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. rash — a series
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. ball — a great time
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. spring — a coil
  12. sharp — clever
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. rash — hasty
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. bat — the animal
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. ball — a dance
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. spring — of water
  22. deal — to handle
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. spring — the season

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