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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  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. hand — part of the body
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. march — the month
  5. hand — help
  6. march — music
  7. hand — in cards
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. stock — goods
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. stock — shares
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. chair — a leader
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. deal — to handle
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. march — the month
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. snap — to click
  21. bore — to drill
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. bore — to tire
  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