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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. rush — hurry
  3. land — a country
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. stand — to bear
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. march — the month
  10. drill — army training
  11. drill — a practice
  12. march — the month
  13. ball — a dance
  14. land — to come down
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. ball — a great time
  17. drill — the tool
  18. squash — to crush
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. squash — the sport
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. land — ground
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. march — music

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