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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. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. row — to paddle
  3. prune — to trim
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. mate — a friend
  6. mate — to breed
  7. row — a line
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. deal — to handle
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. press — to push
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. prune — to trim
  15. press — a publisher
  16. mate — a partner
  17. tube — the underground
  18. game — wild animals
  19. tube — a container
  20. game — a match
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. press — newspapers

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