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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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. deal — to handle
  4. fork — in a road
  5. cell — in biology
  6. cell — a phone
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. toast — bread
  9. march — the month
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. roll — a list
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. march — music
  17. hand — help
  18. march — the month
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. roll — a cake
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. hand — in cards
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. deal — an agreement

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