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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 120 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. There's no middle ________________.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. ground — a position
  3. pitch — completely
  4. rule — government
  5. ground — crushed
  6. rule — a law
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. net — in sport
  10. present — a gift
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. net — after costs
  13. plane — a tool
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. deal — to handle
  16. net — for catching
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. present — there
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. present — the time now
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. ground — the earth
  24. plane — an aircraft

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