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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. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. deal — to handle
  3. hand — help
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. rash — hasty
  7. rest — what's left
  8. date — the fruit
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. bass — low music
  13. rest — a break
  14. hand — in cards
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. drill — a practice
  18. rash — a series
  19. drill — army training
  20. bass — the fish
  21. drill — the tool
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. rest — what's left

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