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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  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. present — there
  2. present — a gift
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. fine — all right
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. present — the time now
  11. fine — high quality
  12. deal — to handle
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. net — for catching
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. prune — to trim
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. wound — an injury
  21. wound — an injury
  22. net — after costs
  23. net — in sport
  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