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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. march — the month
  3. hand — help
  4. hand — in cards
  5. drill — a practice
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. stock — shares
  10. track — a song
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. craft — boats
  14. track — a path
  15. drill — army training
  16. staff — employees
  17. staff — employees
  18. deal — to handle
  19. drill — the tool
  20. staff — a stick
  21. march — the month
  22. stock — goods
  23. march — music
  24. craft — a skill

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