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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. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. row — to paddle
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. drill — army training
  5. deal — to handle
  6. drill — the tool
  7. row — a line
  8. march — the month
  9. cell — in biology
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. board — to get on
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. board — a committee
  15. march — the month
  16. drill — a practice
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. cell — a phone
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. march — music
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. board — a flat piece

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