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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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. march — the month
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. present — there
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. bore — to tire
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. sharp — clever
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. march — the month
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. band — a music group
  14. march — music
  15. present — the time now
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. band — a ring
  19. pitch — completely
  20. bore — to drill
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. present — a gift
  24. arm — part of the body

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