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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 are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. bound — obliged
  3. march — the month
  4. march — the month
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. toast — bread
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. branch — a division
  10. track — to keep track
  11. spring — a coil
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. spring — the season
  14. spring — of water
  15. bound — certain
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. deal — to handle
  19. track — a path
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. track — a song
  23. bound — tied together
  24. march — music

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