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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 120 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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. cue — a hint
  3. march — the month
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. cap — a hat
  6. cap — of ice
  7. bass — low music
  8. march — the month
  9. march — music
  10. cue — for pool
  11. drill — army training
  12. cap — a lid
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. drill — the tool
  16. cue — a signal
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. squash — to crush
  21. deal — to handle
  22. squash — the sport
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. drill — a practice

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