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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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. ball — a great time
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. ball — a dance
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. field — for sport
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. field — farmland
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. sharp — clever
  16. bat — the animal
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. field — a subject
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. mine — for digging
  24. pitcher — a jug

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