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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. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. can — a tin
  3. shower — to wash
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. march — music
  6. bore — to tire
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. march — the month
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. shower — rain
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. can — a tin
  14. bore — to drill
  15. deal — to handle
  16. stock — shares
  17. stock — goods
  18. spell — magic
  19. march — the month
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. spell — a short time
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. can — to be able to
  24. spell — letters

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