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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 soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. drill — a practice
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. chest — of your body
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. pop — music
  10. chest — of your body
  11. land — a country
  12. land — ground
  13. hand — help
  14. chest — a box
  15. hand — in cards
  16. drill — the tool
  17. land — to come down
  18. pop — soda
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. pop — to visit
  21. deal — to handle
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. pass — a permit
  24. deal — a big deal

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