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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. mine — for digging
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. roll — a cake
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. roll — a list
  7. hand — help
  8. march — the month
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. march — the month
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. deal — to handle
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. march — music
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. bore — to tire
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. bore — to drill
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. deal — an agreement

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