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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. march — the month
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. march — the month
  5. deal — to handle
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. current — electric
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. bear — the animal
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. bear — the animal
  14. mine — for digging
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. vault — a safe
  17. pitch — completely
  18. hand — in cards
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. hand — help
  21. current — of water
  22. march — music
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. current — happening now

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