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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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. tube — a container
  4. shower — rain
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. swing — music
  7. swing — to play on
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. swing — in golf
  10. spell — a short time
  11. shower — to wash
  12. spell — letters
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. march — the month
  15. march — the month
  16. net — in sport
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. spell — magic
  19. net — after costs
  20. net — for catching
  21. deal — to handle
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. tube — the underground
  24. fork — in a road

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