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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 120 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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. deal — to handle
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. prune — to trim
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. hand — in cards
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. march — the month
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. drill — a practice
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. prune — to trim
  17. drill — army training
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. drill — the tool
  22. march — music
  23. hand — help
  24. march — the month

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