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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. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. march — music
  5. net — after costs
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. prune — to trim
  8. drill — the tool
  9. bound — tied together
  10. march — the month
  11. fall — the season
  12. bound — certain
  13. net — in sport
  14. drill — a practice
  15. fall — to drop
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. fall — to drop
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. deal — to handle
  20. net — for catching
  21. prune — to trim
  22. vault — a safe
  23. march — the month
  24. bound — obliged

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