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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 had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. rash — a series
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. kid — child
  7. court — of a king
  8. march — music
  9. drill — the tool
  10. deal — to handle
  11. court — of law
  12. rash — hasty
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. march — the month
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. lie — to recline
  17. kid — to tease
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. march — the month
  21. court — for sport
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. drill — army training

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