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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. club — for dancing
  3. face — part of the head
  4. club — a group
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. saw — the tool
  8. face — to point toward
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. face — to confront
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. club — for golf
  14. saw — the tool
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. deal — to handle
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. trunk — of a tree

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