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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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. deal — to handle
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. mug — to rob
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. track — a song
  10. tube — the underground
  11. track — to keep track
  12. mark — a trace
  13. march — the month
  14. track — a path
  15. mug — a cup
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. mark — a grade
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. march — music
  20. mug — a face
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. tube — a container
  24. bat — the animal

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