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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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. mate — a friend
  3. roll — a list
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. spring — a coil
  9. drill — army training
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. kid — child
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. mate — to breed
  16. mate — a partner
  17. roll — a cake
  18. drill — the tool
  19. spring — the season
  20. drill — a practice
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. spring — of water
  23. pound — a weight
  24. kid — to tease

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