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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. march — music
  4. court — of law
  5. bark — to shout
  6. rest — what's left
  7. rest — a break
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. march — the month
  10. rest — what's left
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. present — the time now
  13. court — of a king
  14. march — the month
  15. hand — in cards
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. hand — help
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. deal — to handle
  20. fine — high quality
  21. present — a gift
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. court — for sport
  24. present — there

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