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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 party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. march — music
  3. ground — a position
  4. rash — hasty
  5. land — to come down
  6. bore — to drill
  7. scale — in music
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. ground — the earth
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. march — the month
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. ground — crushed
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. scale — size or range
  17. march — the month
  18. land — ground
  19. deal — to handle
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. bore — to tire
  22. land — a country
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. rash — on the skin

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