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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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. bore — to drill
  3. march — the month
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. root — the cause
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. root — of a plant
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. march — the month
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. hand — help
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. deal — to handle
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. bore — to tire
  19. sharp — clever
  20. root — of a word
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. hand — in cards

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