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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. march — the month
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. shower — rain
  5. saw — the tool
  6. march — the month
  7. stand — to bear
  8. last — to go on
  9. deal — to handle
  10. rock — a stone
  11. shower — to wash
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. rock — music
  14. mug — a cup
  15. saw — the tool
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. mug — to rob
  19. last — finally
  20. last — final
  21. march — music
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. mug — a face
  24. rock — to move gently

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