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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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. deal — to handle
  4. march — the month
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. tear — to rip
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. tear — from crying
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. fork — in a road
  13. last — final
  14. last — to go on
  15. last — finally
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. tear — from crying
  20. ball — a great time
  21. ball — a dance
  22. march — the month
  23. mine — for digging
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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