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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. march — the month
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. track — to keep track
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. rash — hasty
  9. rash — a series
  10. march — music
  11. track — a path
  12. band — a music group
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. band — a ring
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. track — a song
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. deal — to handle

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