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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. deal — to handle
  3. drill — army training
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. drill — a practice
  6. sharp — clever
  7. hand — in cards
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. root — of a plant
  10. stock — goods
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. root — of a word
  14. stock — shares
  15. band — a music group
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. drill — the tool
  19. band — a ring
  20. root — the cause
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. sharp — with an edge

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