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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 116 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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. band — a ring
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. drill — army training
  5. sharp — clever
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. pop — soda
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. rush — hurry
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. drill — a practice
  13. last — to go on
  14. band — a music group
  15. last — finally
  16. pop — to visit
  17. last — final
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. pop — music
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. drill — the tool

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