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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. rule — a law
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. date — the fruit
  8. drill — the tool
  9. deal — to handle
  10. march — the month
  11. bear — the animal
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. march — music
  15. drill — a practice
  16. rule — government
  17. bear — the animal
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. bat — the animal
  24. drill — army training

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