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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 124 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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. march — music
  5. deal — to handle
  6. bass — the fish
  7. march — the month
  8. march — the month
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. present — there
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. present — a gift
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. bass — low music
  17. chest — of your body
  18. present — the time now
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. chest — of your body
  23. chest — a box
  24. patient — a sick person

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